Association of college students values, sense of life meaning and subjective well being with depression
10.16835/j.cnki.1000-9817.2025238
- VernacularTitle:大学生价值观生命意义感和主观幸福感与抑郁的关联
- Author:
LAN Lili, WANG Xiaofeng
1
Author Information
1. School of Business Administration, Shanghai Lixin University of Accounting and Finance, Shanghai 201620, China
- Publication Type:Journal Article
- Keywords:
Values；Depression；Sense of life meaning；Subjective well being；Chinese college students
- From:
Chinese Journal of School Health
2025;46(8):1116-1119
- CountryChina
- Language:Chinese
-
Abstract:
Objective:To explore the mediating effect of life meaning and subjective well being during college students values influence depression, providing insights for reducing college students depression.
Methods:Utilizing a longitudinal approach, the study employed four scales of assessing Chinese adolescent values, sense of life meaning, subjective wellbeing, and depression to conduct a twoyear followup survey of 576 university students (September 2021 T1; September 2023 T2). Three multiple chained mediation models were constructed and analyzed using PROCESS Model 6.
Results:Across the two waves, students endorsement of collective responsibility [(3.74±0.67)(3.64±0.65)] and self improvement [(3.78±0.75)(3.54±0.73)] decreased, while personal happiness [(3.46±0.77)(3.70±0.71)] and depression levels [(0.92±0.43)(0.99±0.50)] increased. Personal happiness T1 negatively predicted depression T2 ( β =-0.21) by enhancing subjective well being T2 ( β =0.20), with a mediation effect of -0.04 (95% CI =-0.07 to -0.02)(all P <0.01). Self improvement T1 negatively predicted depression T2( β =-0.08,-0.20) by increasing sense of life meaning T2 ( β =0.49) and through a serial mediation (sense of life meaning T2 →subjective well being T2, β =0.29), with mediation effects of -0.04 (95% CI =-0.06 to -0.02) and -0.03 (95% CI =-0.04 to -0.02)(all P <0.01). Collective responsibility negatively T1 predicted depression T2 ( β =-0.08,-0.21) via separate pathways (sense of life meaning T2: β = 0.29 ; subjective well being T2: β =0.17) and a serial mediation (sense of life meaning T2→ subjective well being T2, β =0.28), with mediation effects of -0.02 (95% CI =-0.04 to -0.01), -0.04 (95% CI = -0.07 to -0.01) and -0.02 (95% CI =-0.03 to -0.01 )(all P <0.01).
Conclusion:The three values influence depression through distinct psychological mechanisms, providing a basis for mental health interventions and values education.
