Depression In College Students Research Articles

The Association Between Autistic Traits and Depression in College Students: The Mediating Roles of Interpersonal Emotion Regulation and Social Self-Efficacy

The Association Between Autistic Traits and Depression in College Students: The Mediating Roles of Interpersonal Emotion Regulation and Social Self-Efficacy

PANDEMIA DA COVID-19: O AUMENTO DOS CASOS DE ANSIEDADE E DEPRESSÃO NA COMUNIDADE UNIVERSITÁRIA

The COVID-19 pandemic has established itself as a health challenge at a global level, with the WHO defining that response measures should be implemented as quickly as possible so that there is no incidence of new cases of the disease. The governing authorities established mandatory restrictions on the operation of most places where there could be crowds of people, such as, for example, shopping malls, schools and universities. With regard to the university community, these restrictions had a significant impact on their lives, impacting them in several ways […]. Therefore, the objective of this research is to highlight, through studies, the increase in cases of anxiety and depression in university students during and after the pandemic. The present study is an integrative review of the literature, whose function is to delimit results from previous studies on the proposed subject. The research was carried out in the following databases: Virtual Health Library (VHL), Scielo Portal, Google Scholar and the PAHO/WHO website. With the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, universities restricted their operations due to social distancing, completely changing the student scenario. Several studies carried out during the pandemic highlighted the repercussions on the mental health of the academic community, revealing prevalent feelings of impotence, anguish, fear of losing family and friends, irritability and sadness, increasing susceptibility to anxiety, depression and other disorders. Therefore, an emerging focus on mental health in the post-pandemic period is crucial as risk factors continue to significantly impact diverse areas of society.

Past Bullying Experiences and Depression in College Students: A Moderated-Moderation Model of Parental Monitoring and Family Support

This study examined the association between past bullying victimization and college students’ depressive symptoms, which included mediation (self-esteem) and moderated-moderation (parental monitoring and family support) analysis. This study sample ( n = 362) was collected from South Central and Midwest colleges in the United States. Previous K–12 bullying victimization had a positive association with later life depression among college students which was partially explained by lowered self-esteem. Only a moderate or low level of parental monitoring in the context of high family support buffered the negative impact of past bullying victimization on college students’ depression. However, with low family support, parental monitoring rather increased depression. The transitional period to college life may require restructuring family relationships, and parents excessively monitoring their emerging adult child may not be ideal for mental health among college students who experienced bullying victimization.

Association between 24-hour movement behavior and depression in college students: A compositional data analysis

BackgroundEvidence strongly suggests that moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) can help reduce symptoms of depression. However, the relationship between 24-h movement behaviors and depressive symptoms, as well as the potential substitution effects between different behaviors, remains unclear. Therefore, this study seeks to investigate how the time spent in one behavior relative to others is associated with depressive symptoms. MethodsThe study recruited 366 participants, who had their levels of MVPA, light PA (LPA), and sedentary behavior (SB) recorded using tri-axial accelerometers over 7 consecutive days. Participants also self-reported their sleep duration (SLP). Depression scores were measured using the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale (CESD). Using compositional linear regression, the study explored the connections between different compositions of time spent in movement behaviors and depression symptom scores. ResultsSpending more time on LPA and MVPA relative to other behaviors were associated with lower depression scores, whereas a higher proportion of SB relative to other activities was linked to increased depression scores. Reallocating time spent on SB to LPA and MVPA was associated with decreased depression scores. LimitationThis study is a cross-sectional research design, and causality cannot be inferred. In addition, the sampling method of this study may have imposed some limitations on the representativeness of the sample. Further longitudinal studies could be conducted by selecting a large, representative sample. ConclusionWithin the spectrum of 24-h movement behaviors, increasing the duration of LPA and MVPA emerges as advantageous for reducing depression scores, suggesting a potential benefit in reallocating SB to PA, especially MVPA.

The relationship between childhood psychological abuse and depression in college students: internet addiction as mediator, different dimensions of alexithymia as moderator.

Childhood psychological abuse (CPA) is highly associated with depression among college students. However, the underlying mechanisms between these variables need further exploration. This study aims to investigate internet addiction as a mediating factor and alexithymia and its different dimensions as moderating factors, to further complement the psychological mechanisms between CPA and depression among college students. A self-report survey was conducted on 625 college students from two universities in Hunan Province, China. The survey included CPA, internet addiction, alexithymia, and depression. Descriptive and correlational analyses were performed on these variables, and a moderated mediation model was constructed. CPA is positively correlated with depression, internet addiction, and alexithymia among college students. Internet addiction partially mediates the relationship between CPA and depression among college students, while alexithymia enhances the relationship between CPA and internet addiction as well as depression among college students. The moderating effect of the different dimensions of alexithymia is inconsistent, with the modulation effect of difficulty in identifying feelings being the strongest. This study further elucidates the psychological mechanisms between CPA and depression among college students. Internet addiction serves as a mediating factor, while alexithymia may strengthen the relationship between CPA and internet addiction, as well as between CPA and depression.

The temporal dynamics of perceived stress and depression in college students: An ecological momentary assessment.

Previous studies have implied that stress is a risk factor for depression, but relatively little is known about how healthy individuals' stress dynamically affects depression as a mood in daily life. Therefore, an ecological momentary assessment study was conducted among 141 college students to test the temporal dynamic effect of daily perceived stress on depression and the underlying mediating and moderating role of rumination. Perceived stress, state rumination, and depression were measured using self-compiled questionnaire three times a day over 12 days. Trait rumination was measured with the Nolen-Hoeksema Ruminative Response Scale. Hierarchical linear models with HLM 7.0 were adopted to examine the mediation and moderation effects. In the mediation model, the greater the daily perceived stress at time t, the higher the state rumination at time t + 1, and state rumination at t + 1 positively predicted college students' depression at t + 2. In the moderation model, trait rumination significantly facilitated perceived stress-induced depression. These results verified that daily perceived stress could affect college students' depression directly or indirectly through the critical mediating mechanism of state rumination, and this effect would be exacerbated with a higher level of trait rumination.

A randomized controlled trial of a self-guided mobile app targeting repetitive negative thought to prevent depression in university students: study protocol of the Nurture-U Reducing Worry prevention trial

BackgroundTackling poor mental health in university students has been identified as a priority in higher education. However, there are few evidence-based prevention initiatives designed for students. Repetitive Negative Thought (RNT, e.g. worry, rumination) is elevated in university students and is a well-established vulnerability factor for anxiety and depression. Furthermore, there are now evidence-based cognitive-behavioural interventions to tackle RNT. A mobile self-help cognitive-behavioural app targeting RNT, adapted for students may therefore be an effective, scalable, and acceptable way to improve prevention in students.MethodsAn online single blind, two-arm parallel-group Randomised Controlled Trial (RCT) to examine the incidence of major depression and symptoms of anxiety and depression across 12 months in university students aged over 16 who screen into the study with self-reported high levels of worry and/or rumination and no current diagnosis of major depression. Eligible participants will be randomised to the active intervention arm (usual practice plus using a self-guided mobile app targeting RNT) or to the control arm (usual practice). In total, 648 participants aged over 16, with no current major depression, bipolar disorder or psychosis will be recruited from UK universities. Assessments will take place at baseline (pre-randomisation), 3 months and 12 months post- randomisation. Primary endpoint and outcome is incidence of major depression as determined by self-reported diagnostic criteria at 12-month follow-up. Depressive symptoms, anxiety, well-being, health-related quality of life, functioning and academic outcomes are secondary outcomes. Compliance, adverse events, and potentially mediating variables will be carefully monitored.DiscussionThe trial aims to provide a better understanding of the causal role of tackling RNT (worry, rumination) using a self-help mobile app with respect to preventing depression in university students. This knowledge will be used to develop and disseminate innovative evidence-based, feasible, and effective mobile-health public health strategies for preventing common mental health problems.Trial registrationhttps://www.isrctn.com/ISRCTN86795807 Date of registration: 27 October 2022

Using Network Analysis to Subgroup Risk Factors for Depressive Symptoms in College Students.

Network modeling has been suggested as an effective method to explore intricate relationships among antecedents, mediators, and symptoms. In this study, we aimed to investigate whether the severity of depressive symptoms in college students affects the multivariate relationships among anhedonia, smartphone addiction, and mediating factors. A survey was conducted among 1347 Chinese college students (587 female) to assess depressive symptoms, anhedonia, addictive behaviors, anxiety, and insomnia. The participants were categorized the non-depressive symptom (NDS) and depressive symptom (DS) groups based on a cut-off score of 5 on the 9-item Patient Health Questionnaire-9. Network analysis was performed to investigate the symptom-to-symptom influences of symptoms in these two groups. The network of the DS group was more densely connected than that of the NDS group. Social anticipatory anhedonia was a central factor for DS, while withdraw/escape (one factor of smartphone addiction) was a central factor for NDS. The DS group exhibited greater strength between the PHQ9 score and social anticipatory anhedonia, as well as between the PHQ9 score and alcohol misuse score, compared to the NDS group. On the other hand, the NDS group had higher strength between anxiety and feeling lost, as well as between anxiety and withdraw/escape, compared to the DS group. The findings suggest that there is a close relationship between social anhedonia, smartphone addiction, and alcohol consumption in the DS group. Addressing on ameliorating social anhedonia and smartphone addiction may be effective in preventing and managing depression in college students.

The effect of physical activity on depression in university students: the mediating role of self-esteem and positive psychological capital.

This study aimed to investigate the relationship between physical exercise and depression among college students, focusing on the mediating role of self-esteem and positive psychological capital. Group psychological measurements were conducted on 579 students using various scales, including the Physical Activity Rating Scale (PARS-3), Self-Esteem Scale (SES), Positive Psychological Capital Questionnaire (PPQ), and Self-rating Depression Scale (SDS). The data was analyzed using SPSS 26.0 and bootstrap methods to test and analyze the effects. A negative correlation between physical exercise and depressive mood, with physical exercise significantly predicting college students' depressive mood. Additionally, physical exercise was found to positively predict self-esteem and positive psychological capital, both of which are negatively predictive of depressive mood. Self-esteem and positive psychological capital were identified as significant mediators between physical exercise and depressive mood, with three mediating paths: physical exercise, self-esteem, and depressed mood (Path 1), exhibited an indirect effect of 0.017, with the bootstrap 95% confidence interval excluding 0 (LLCI = -0.051, ULCI = -0.004) and accounting for 8.30% of the total effect. Physical exercise, positive psychological capital, and depression emotion (Path 2), had an indirect effect of 0.049, with the bootstrap 95% confidence interval also not containing 0 (LLCI = -0.088, ULCI = -0.011) and contributing to 23.90% of the total effect. Physical exercise, self-esteem, positive psychological capital, depressed mood (Path 3), demonstrated an indirect effect of 0.006, with the bootstrap 95% confidence interval excluding 0 (LLCI = -0.011, ULCI = -0.001) and representing 2.90% of the total effect. Physical exercise negatively predicts depressive mood among college students and has a mediating effect through self-esteem and positive psychological capital, creating a chain-like impact on their depressive symptoms.

The Moderating Effect of Self-complexity on the Effect of Stress on Depression in College Students: Focusing on the Moderating Effect of Each Sub-factor of Self-complexity

The Moderating Effect of Self-complexity on the Effect of Stress on Depression in College Students: Focusing on the Moderating Effect of Each Sub-factor of Self-complexity

Dimensional Distribution of Anxiety and Depression in College Students in a Rural Setting: Relationship with Stress, Well-being, and Quality of Life

Background: Information about the anxiety and depression of students in rural areas of India is scant. We evaluated stress, coping strategies, quality of life (QOL), and well-being of students along with the dimensional and categorical distribution of anxiety and depression in a cross-sectional study in a rural college. Materials and Methods: It was an online questionnaire-based survey using the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 for depression, general anxiety disorder-7 for anxiety, and the WHO-5 Well-Being scale for well-being. Stress in the previous month, nature of stress, coping strategies, and QOL on a scale of 1 (worst) to 10 (best) were also assessed. Results: The dimensional distribution of anxiety and depression suggested the pervasiveness of these problems among students. Categorically, a considerable proportion of students had clinical levels of anxiety (32.2%), depression (40.3%); and 24.8% of students had both of them. Stress in the past month was reported by 34.2% of students, which was linked significantly with the severity of anxiety and depression. Common stressor were financial problems, family-, career-, and job-related issues. Stress, anxiety, and depression were negatively correlated with well-being and QOL. Many coping strategies were reported; more than half of the students found helping others, creative hobbies, hoping for the best, music, talking to others, yoga and exercises, prayer, and religious activities helpful. Conclusions: The results highlight the pervasive presence of anxiety and depression in college students, which are linked to stress, and have an impact on their well-being and QOL. These require specific attention for management.

Examining bystander intervention for peer depression and sociodemographic correlates among university students in Singapore.

The Advancing Research To Eliminate Mental Illness Stigma (ARTEMIS) study evaluated the impact of an intervention developed and implemented in Singapore on attitudes towards depression in university students. We aimed to assess the likelihood of university students intervening when their peers suffer from depression, before and after the ARTEMIS intervention. 390 students were recruited from a university in Singapore. The ARTEMIS intervention comprised a lecture by a trained mental health professional, a sharing session by a person with lived experience of depression, and a question-and-answer segment with a panel. The Bystander Intervention Scale for Depression (BISD) was administered at baseline, post-intervention, and 3-month follow-up. BISD assessed four factors: acceptance of responsibility to intervene, knowledge on how to intervene, awareness of depression among peers, and vigilance towards possible symptoms of depression. Linear mixed models were conducted to investigate associations. Sociodemographic correlates were also examined. A favourable shift in all factors was observed at post-intervention, which weakened at 3-month follow-up. Having past experience in the mental health field (β=1.50) and older age (β=0.18) were significantly associated with knowledge on how to intervene. Having social contact with mental illness (SCMI) and past experience in the mental health field (PEMHF) were significantly associated with awareness of depression among peers (SCMI β=0.89, PEMHF β=0.43) and vigilance towards possible symptoms of depression (SCMI β=0.39, PEMHF β=0.61). The short-term results of the intervention appeared promising across all BISD factors; however, these results were not sustained after 3 months. Future research should include the impact of 'booster' interventions over time. Sociodemographic factors that were identified to be significant correlates should also be considered when planning for future interventions.

The relationship between future time perspective and suicide ideation in college students: Multiple mediating effects of anxiety and depression

BackgroundSuicide ideation has high prevalence in adolescents, better future time perspective is considered a protective role for anxiety, depression, and suicide ideation. However, the impact of future time perspective on suicide ideation remains unclear, especially when anxiety and depression as mediating roles. MethodsA cross-sectional study of college students was performed in Chongqing, China. There are 851 students enrolled in this study and we distribute questionnaires through the WeChat platform to obtain data in 2023. We conducted Pearson correlation analysis and descriptive statistics. Model 6 in PROCESS 4.0 was used to test the multiple mediating effect. ResultsCollege students who have higher future time perspective are associated with a lower risk of anxiety, depression, and suicide ideation. Future time perspective not only affects suicide ideation directly, but also influence it by means of two mediating pathways: ①depression, the mediation effect is 37.41 %; ②the multiple mediating effects of anxiety and depression with a mediating effect of 29.68 %. ConclusionHigher future time perspective functions as a protective role in anxiety, depression, and suicide ideation; future time perspective can affect and predict the occurrence of suicide ideation by influencing anxiety and depression in college students. This conclusion will be a novel and insightful part of adolescent mental health research, and provide a new perspective to prevent college students from committing suicide in the future.

Post-COVID cognitive impairment, level of depression and anxiety in university students

Recently, a significant amount of research has focused on the impact of COVID-19 on mental health. One of the increasingly common long-term consequences of COVID-19 is its effect on cognitive function, even in patients with an initially mild course of the acute illness. The article presents the results of a study of cognitive impairment and anxiety and depression levels among students of a higher medical educational institution. The study consisted of a continuous screening survey of students who had and had not experienced COVID-19 using an original questionnaire, as well as psychometric scales: Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA), Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9), and Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7). Based on the screening results, two groups were formed (those who had COVID-19 and those who did not), and a comparative analysis was carried out. It was found that a third (32.4%) of young people who had COVID-19 developed cognitive impairment. In students who were not ill, cognitive impairment was detected half as often – 16.8%. It was revealed that regardless of the fact of having suffered an infectious disease, a quarter of students experienced increased anxiety and decreased mood. Affective experiences, in turn, negatively affected cognitive functioning and caused young people to be more attentive to their health, including mental health, which was accompanied by a large number of positive responses when using the PHQ-9 and GAD-7 screening questionnaires.

The need for affiliation and depression amidst the post-acute pandemic: The mediation of self-esteem and moderation of insecure attachment among university students

The study investigated the connection between the need for affiliation and depression in Chinese university students, considering the mediating role of self-esteem and the moderating effect of insecure attachment (both anxious and avoidant). Involving 804 students from two Chinese universities, participants provided self-reports on affiliation desire, self-esteem, depressive symptoms, and assessments of insecure attachment. The findings revealed that self-esteem partially mediated the relationship between the need for affiliation and depression. Both anxious and avoidant attachment styles moderated the connection between self-esteem and depression. A simple slopes analysis showed that high anxious attachment intensified the link between low self-esteem and high depression. Similarly, high avoidant attachment exacerbated the association between low self-esteem and higher levels of depression. The implications of these findings were discussed, emphasizing their significance for mental health support and interventions targeting university students.

Association between the Behavioral Activation Mechanism and Depression Severity: Focusing on Avoidance Patterns of University Students.

Subthreshold depression is a risk factor for depression among university students. Positive environmental reinforcement is a significant mediator of avoidance and depression in healthy university students. However, this relationship is understudied in those with subthreshold depression or depression. Therefore, this study examined these associations in healthy university students and those who fit the criteria for subthreshold depression or depression. We conducted an online survey with 1200 undergraduate students (600 women and 600 men, mean age = 20.61, SD = 1.59). The results revealed significant differences in avoidance patterns (behavioral social, behavioral nonsocial, cognitive social, and cognitive nonsocial), with participants with depression presenting the highest scores. The results of the mediation analysis were similar to those of previous studies in healthy groups. However, in the subthreshold-depression group, positive environmental reinforcement was mediated by behavioral social and behavioral non-social avoidance and depressive symptoms. In the group with depression, positive environmental reinforcement was mediated only by behavioral nonsocial avoidance and depressive symptoms. Associations between avoidance patterns, positive environmental reinforcement, and depressive symptoms vary with the degree of depressive symptoms. The results revealed by this study provide new foundational insights to prevent subthreshold depression among university students from deteriorating into depression.

COVID-19 depression in university students living in a vulnerable area of northern Lima

Being university students from socioeconomically vulnerable areas, depressive symptomatology tends to increase during the pandemic, so the objective of the research is to determine depression in post-COVID-19 university students in northern Lima. It is a quantitative, descriptive, cross-sectional and non-experimental study, with a population of 30 people who completed a questionnaire with sociodemographic aspects and the Zung Self-Assessment Scale for Depression. In their results, 5 % (n=7) of the inhabitants are depressed, 30,5 % (n=10) are slightly depressed and 64,5 % (n=13) have normal depression. In conclusion, this research will allow highlighting the unfavorable conditions that pre-exist in vulnerable areas of our country, also product of the pandemic worsened thus giving the need for long-term interventions on mental health.

Multilayer perceptron-based literature reading preferences predict anxiety and depression in university students.

This study aims to precisely model the nonlinear relationship between university students' literature reading preferences (LRP) and their levels of anxiety and depression using a multilayer perceptron (MLP) to identify reading-related risk factors affecting anxiety and depression among university students. In this cross-sectional study, an internet-based questionnaire was conducted among 2,092 undergraduate students (aged 18-22, 62.7% female, from seven provinces in China). Participants completed a customized questionnaire on their LRP, followed by standardized assessments of anxiety and depression using the Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7-item Scale and the Beck Depression Inventory, respectively. An MLP with residual connections was employed to establish the nonlinear relationship between LRP and anxiety and depression. The MLP model achieved an average accuracy of 86.8% for predicting non-anxious individuals and 81.4% for anxious individuals. In the case of depression, the model's accuracy was 90.1% for non-depressed individuals and 84.1% for those with depression. SHAP value analysis identified "Tense/Suspenseful-Emotional Tone," "War and Peace-Thematic Content," and "Infrequent Reading-Reading Habits" as the top contributors to anxiety prediction accuracy. Similarly, "Sad-Emotional Tone Preference," "Emotional Depictions-Thematic Content," and "Thought-Provoking-Emotional Tone" were the primary contributors to depression prediction accuracy. The MLP accurately models the nonlinear relationship between LRP and mental health in university students, indicating the significance of specific reading preferences as risk factors. The study underscores the importance of literature emotional tone and themes in mental health. LRP should be integrated into psychological assessments to help prevent anxiety and depression among university students.

Study on the Intervention Effect of Frisbee Exercise on College Students with Depression

The study investigates the effects of a 16-week Ultimate Frisbee program on depression, self-esteem, and sleep quality among college students with depression. Utilizing stratified random cluster sampling, 30 students participated in weekly 90-minute sessions, which included skill training, mini-games, and matches. Measurements were taken using the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAMD-17), Self-esteem Scale (SES), and Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI). Post-intervention, participants showed significant improvements: reduced HAMD-17 scores, increased SES scores, and improved PSQI scores. Specifically, the program demonstrated a significant efficacy rate of 66.7% and an overall efficacy rate of 93.3%. Ultimate Frisbee is recommended as a valuable complementary therapy for managing depression in college students, contributing to a holistic approach to mental health care.

The Mediating Role of Interoceptive Sensitivity in the Relationship between Physical Activity and Depression Symptoms in College Students.

A substantial body of evidence indicates that neurological, psychological, and behavioral health issues are profoundly linked to interoceptive sensitivity. The present study aimed to identify the effects of interoceptive sensitivity on the relationship between physical activity and symptoms of depression in Chinese college students. This study employed a cross-sectional design using convenience sampling. An online self-reported survey was distributed to college students in China. The participants' interoceptive sensitivity, physical activity levels, and depressive symptoms were measured using the MAIA-2, IPAQ-SF, and PHQ-9, respectively. The mediating effect was tested via regression analysis and a parallel mediation model, with bootstrap confidence intervals for indirect effects. The results showed a significant negative correlation between physical activity and depression. A significant positive correlation was observed between physical activity and seven dimensions of interoceptive sensitivity. Conversely, interoceptive sensitivity exhibited a negative correlation with depression. The bootstrap mediation analysis showed that the "not distracting" and "trusting" dimensions of interoceptive sensitivity had significant indirect effects on the relationship between physical activity and depression, suggesting that physical activity might reduce depressive symptoms via these two interoceptive sensitivity dimensions. The findings suggest that interoceptive sensitivity should be integrated into therapeutic interventions, such as physical activity interventions, in the treatment of mental illnesses, particularly depression. Increasing physical activity levels, with a specific focus on enhancing interoceptive modulation, appears to be a promising approach for addressing depression in college students.