Zhang Ziyang, Wang Qingzhi
St. Luke's College of Nursing, Trinity University of Asia, 1102 Quezon City, Philippines.
Department of Social Medicine and Child Health, School of Public Health, Xuzhou Medical University, 221004 Xuzhou, Jiangsu, China.
Alpha Psychiatry. 2025 Jun 19;26(3):44018. doi: 10.31083/AP44018. eCollection 2025 Jun.
Medical students frequently encounter high academic demands that increase their risk of depression. Understanding how academic distress interacts with interpersonal communication tendencies to influence depression can inform mental health interventions. This study aims to explore the direct effect of academic distress on depression and the mediating role of interpersonal communication tendency.
A cross-sectional survey was conducted among 7317 students in medicine and related fields at Xuzhou Medical University from September to December 2022, using stratified random cluster sampling. Data were collected using validated scales measuring academic distress, interpersonal communication tendency, and depressive symptoms. Structural equation modeling was employed to analyze the total, direct, and indirect effects of academic distress on depression, and a multi-group analysis was conducted to examine gender differences.
Academic distress was found to directly and positively affect depression (β = 0.622, 95% CI: 0.556, 0.686). Additionally, interpersonal communication tendency significantly mediated the relationship between academic distress and depression (β = -0.253, 95% CI: -0.294, -0.217). Gender-based analysis indicated a slightly stronger direct effect of academic distress on depression among male students (β = 0.630) compared to female students (β = 0.606).
Academic distress is strongly associated with depression among medical students, with interpersonal communication tendency serving as an effective mediator that reduces depressive symptoms. These findings highlight the need for academic institutions to support medical students by enhancing interpersonal communication skills and providing mental health resources to alleviate academic distress.
医学生经常面临较高的学业要求，这增加了他们患抑郁症的风险。了解学业困扰如何与人际沟通倾向相互作用以影响抑郁症，可为心理健康干预提供依据。本研究旨在探讨学业困扰对抑郁症的直接影响以及人际沟通倾向的中介作用。
2022年9月至12月，采用分层随机整群抽样方法，对徐州医科大学7317名医科及相关专业学生进行了横断面调查。使用经过验证的量表收集学业困扰、人际沟通倾向和抑郁症状的数据。采用结构方程模型分析学业困扰对抑郁症的总效应、直接效应和间接效应，并进行多组分析以检验性别差异。
发现学业困扰直接且正向影响抑郁症（β = 0.622，95%置信区间：0.556，0.686）。此外，人际沟通倾向显著中介了学业困扰与抑郁症之间的关系（β = -0.253，95%置信区间：-0.294，-0.217）。基于性别的分析表明，与女生（β = 0.606）相比，男生中，学业困扰对抑郁症的直接影响略强（β = 0.630）。
学业困扰与医学生的抑郁症密切相关，人际沟通倾向是减轻抑郁症状的有效中介因素。这些发现凸显了学术机构需要通过提高人际沟通技巧和提供心理健康资源来支持医学生，以缓解学业困扰。
