The relationship between depression and adjustment disorder among a clinical sample of college freshmen: the mediating roles of resilience and perceived social support

Description

Shuai Zhang and colleagues published a 2026 study of how depression relates to adjustment disorder in first-year college students, and whether resilience and felt support carry part of that effect. Adjustment disorder is an outsized emotional reaction to clear stressors, common when students start university. The team surveyed 402 freshmen at a hospital psychology department in Zhumadian. Questionnaires measured depression, resilience, support, and symptoms, and the team modeled the pathways among them.

Depression tracked strongly with the disorder, while resilience and support moved against it. Modeling showed depression forecast more problems, and resilience and support each predicted fewer. Path analysis backed a partial mediation story: depression harms adjustment directly and by wearing down a student's resilience and sense of support. Gender and childhood trauma showed no clear differences. The authors argue that campus mental health programs should build resilience and support networks, not only treat depressive symptoms.

Catalog record

Source: https://europepmc.org/articles/PMC13279510