Depression as a mediator in the relationship between perceived familial criticism and college adaptation

Prospective relationships between college adjustment, self-esteem, and mental health status among Chinese undergraduates

Objective: This three-wave longitudinal study tested the prospective relationships between college adjustment, self-esteem, and mental health status (ie, subjective well-being, anxiety, and depression). Participants: The study recruited 265 Chinese undergraduate students. Methods: Demographic, college adjustment, self-esteem, and mental health status data were collected. Results: College adjustment and self-esteem were moderate in magnitude and maintained a reasonable stability over time. College adjustment and self-esteem at Year 1 and Year 2, and mental health status at Year 3, were significantly correlated with each other. College adjustment at Year 1 and Year 2, and self-esteem at Year 1 significantly predicted mental health status at Year 3. Conclusions: Interventions to improve self-esteem and college adjustment may benefit long-term mental health outcomes.

Characteristics of Academic Adaptation and Subjective Well-Being in University Students with Chronic Diseases

Studying academic adaptation and subjective well-being in students with chronic diseases can help to explain psychological compensatory mechanisms and help with the development of socio-psychological support programs. It is supposed that the defining role is played by general adaptive potential, and the presence of chronic diseases results in variations in academic adaptation, which, alongside other variables, acts as a predictor of subjective well-being and satisfaction of basic needs. The sample consisted of first-year university students aged 17-26 years (mean = 19.6, SD = 2.8, 18.4% male; n = 419 persons, of which 34.8% with chronic diseases of various etiologies). To evaluate the components of students' academic adaptation, we used the Academic Adaptation Scale; general adaptive potential was measured using the Multilevel Personal Adaptability Questionnaire; to evaluate subjective well-being, we used the Subjective Well-Being Scale; and satisfaction using the Life Scale. Satisfaction of basic needs was defined with the Basic Needs Satisfaction in General Scale. Students with chronic diseases demonstrated lower manifested adaptive potential, general markers of academic adaptation, subjective well-being, and satisfaction of basic psychological needs. The results showed that interrelations between various markers in students are largely mediated by academic adaptation and adaptive potential. Thus, the interconnection between adaptive potential and satisfaction of basic needs is significantly mediated by students' academic adaptation, whereas the interconnection between chronic diseases and academic adaptation is mediated by adaptive potential. In other words, the findings support the assumption regarding the significant mediating role of these variables in subjective well-being. Cognitive, motivational, and communicative components of academic adaptation can serve as compensatory factors for experiencing subjective well-being in students with chronic diseases.

Prospective relationships between mobile phone dependence and mental health status among Chinese undergraduate students with college adjustment as a mediator

BACKGROUND

This 3-year longitudinal study investigated the prospective relationships between mobile phone dependence and mental health status (i.e., subjective well-being, anxiety and depression) and the mediating role of college adjustment among Chinese undergraduate students.

METHODS

The study recruited 265 first-year undergraduate students from a university (mean age = 18.95 years, SD = 0.72) in Wenzhou, China. A baseline survey and two follow-up surveys were conducted between November 2013 and December 2015 (the response rate was 76.4%). The validated Mobile Phone Addiction Tendency Scale (MPATS), Chinese College Student Adjustment Scale (CCSAS), Index of Well-being, Self-rating Anxiety Scale (SAS), and Self-rating Depression Scale (SDS) were used for assessments.

RESULTS

The prevalence of anxiety and depression at Year 3 was 7.5% and 9.4%, respectively. Correlation analyses showed that mobile phone dependence at Year 1, college adjustment at Year 2, and mental health status at Year 3 were significantly correlated with each other. Structural equation modeling analyses showed that mobile phone dependence at Year 1 significantly predicted poor mental health status at Year 3. College adjustment at Year 2 significantly mediated the effect of mobile phone dependence at Year 1 on mental health status at Year 3.

CONCLUSIONS

Interventions both on reduction of mobile phone dependency and improvement of college adjustment (especially among those with mobile phone dependence) are possible and needed among new college students to prevent their future depression and anxiety. Such interventions should be incorporated into regular education programs in universities.