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Cross-Sectional and Prospective Relationships Between Neuroticism and Depressive Symptoms Among College Students: The Mediating Role of Loneliness

Year: 2023

Type: article

Abstract: High levels of neuroticism are associated with an increased risk of depression. The mechanisms for this association are still unclear. This study investigated loneliness, a pervasive negative human emotion linked to depressive symptoms, as a potential mediator. Data were collected from 739 college students (71.6% females; mean age = 18.47, SD = .87) at two times points through 3 years. Self-report questionnaires were administered to assess neuroticism, loneliness, and depressive symptoms. Cross-sectional analyses of the baseline data suggested that loneliness mediates the association between neuroticism and depressive symptoms. Prospective analyses with two-wave data further prove that baseline neuroticism can predict the changes in depressive symptoms, and changes in loneliness sequentially mediated this association. These findings suggest a possibility of developing interventions for loneliness to interrupt the association between neuroticism and poorer mental health outcomes among college students.

Source: Psychological Reports

DOI: 10.1177/00332941231191065

Authors: Bin Yu, Yuanlin Liu, Yujin Li, Qi Wu

Institutions: Tianjin University, Tianjin Medical University

Language: English

Topic: Personality Traits and Psychology

Subfield: Clinical Psychology

Field: Psychology

Domain: Social Sciences

SDG: Good health and well-being

Open Access status: bronze

Funder: National Social Science Fund of China