Objective:To explore the depressive emotion among students in an international high school as the micro-environment of intercultural context,focusing on the relationships among depression,interpersonal compe-tence and intercultural sensitivity.Methods:Ninety-four tenth-grade students from an international school were se-lected for assessment during their high school stage,encompassing a duration of three years and six semesters(iden-tified as T1 to T6).The severity of depression was assessed with the Self-rating Depression Scale(SDS)six times(T1-T6).The level of interpersonal competence and intercultural sensitivity were measured twice(T1,T5)with the Interpersonal Competence Questionnaire(ICQ)and Intercultural Sensitivity Scale(ISS).Results:The scores of SDS exhibited a discernible pattern from stages T1 to T6,characterized by an initial incline followed by a subse-quent decline(P＜0.01).The SDS scores were negatively correlated with the ICQ scores at T1 and T5(r=-0.48,-0.47,Ps＜0.01)and ISS(r=-0.62,-0.59,Ps＜0.01),but the scores of ICQ(β=-0.20,P=0.057)and ISS(β=-0.02,P=0.897)at T1 were unable to predict SDS scores at T5.Notably,the mediating effects from scores of ISS in the relationship between scores of ICQ and SDS were statistically significant in both the hori-zontal(T1 95％CI:-0.41--0.12;T5 95％CI:-0.53--0.13)and longitudinal contexts(95％CI:-0.42--0.15).Conclusion:The interpersonal competence and intercultural sensitivity in international high school students have a positive significance in alleviating their depression during the adaptation in micro-environment of in-tercultural context.

Objective:To explore the depressive emotion among students in an international high school as the micro-environment of intercultural context,focusing on the relationships among depression,interpersonal compe-tence and intercultural sensitivity.Methods:Ninety-four tenth-grade students from an international school were se-lected for assessment during their high school stage,encompassing a duration of three years and six semesters(iden-tified as T1 to T6).The severity of depression was assessed with the Self-rating Depression Scale(SDS)six times(T1-T6).The level of interpersonal competence and intercultural sensitivity were measured twice(T1,T5)with the Interpersonal Competence Questionnaire(ICQ)and Intercultural Sensitivity Scale(ISS).Results:The scores of SDS exhibited a discernible pattern from stages T1 to T6,characterized by an initial incline followed by a subse-quent decline(P＜0.01).The SDS scores were negatively correlated with the ICQ scores at T1 and T5(r=-0.48,-0.47,Ps＜0.01)and ISS(r=-0.62,-0.59,Ps＜0.01),but the scores of ICQ(β=-0.20,P=0.057)and ISS(β=-0.02,P=0.897)at T1 were unable to predict SDS scores at T5.Notably,the mediating effects from scores of ISS in the relationship between scores of ICQ and SDS were statistically significant in both the hori-zontal(T1 95％CI:-0.41--0.12;T5 95％CI:-0.53--0.13)and longitudinal contexts(95％CI:-0.42--0.15).Conclusion:The interpersonal competence and intercultural sensitivity in international high school students have a positive significance in alleviating their depression during the adaptation in micro-environment of in-tercultural context.