Risk Factors for Depressive Symptomatology among Higher Education Students

Abstract

Higher education students experience high rates of mental health problems, and depression is one of the most common mental illnesses referred. The identification of modifiable risk factors for the development of depressive symptomatology is crucial. The current study was designed to examine the associations among vulnerability to stress, pessimism, dysfunctional attitudes and personality with depressive symptomatology in a sample of higher education students. A total of 257 higher education students completed an online questionnaire, which assessed: depressive symptomatology (BDI-II; Beck, Steer, & Brown, 1996), vulnerability to stress (QVS; Vaz Serra, 2000), pessimism (LOTR; Scheier, Carver, & Bridges, 1994), dysfunctional attitudes (DAS; Weissman & Beck, 1978) and personality (NEO-FFI; Mccrae & Costa, 2004). The main results indicated that vulnerability to stress, pessimism, dysfunctional attitudes and neuroticism were positively associated with depressive symptomatology. Multiple regression analysis was used to test if the vulnerability to stress, neuroticism and pessimism predicted participants’ ratings of depressive symptomatology. The results of the regression indicated the three predictors explained 58% of the variance (R2 = .58, F (3, 226) = 103.98, p < .001). Vulnerability to stress (b = .28, p < .001) and neuroticism (b = .54, p < .001) are significantly predicted by depressive symptomatology. Findings suggested that the risk factors considered, particularly vulnerability to stress and neuroticism, may be crucial to the comprehension of vulnerability to depressive symptomatology among higher education students. Implications of these results on future prevention programs are discussed.