大五人格特质在中国大学生自我效能感与抑郁症状关系中的中介作用

The mediating role of the big five personality traits in the relationship between self-efficacy and depressive symptoms among Chinese university students.

作者信息

Yang Yu, Mou Zhen, Zhang Lingling, Ma Shurong, Zhao Zhenxiong

机构信息

School of Health Science and Engineering, University of Shanghai for Science and Technology, Shanghai, China.

College of Rehabilitation Sciences, Shanghai University of Medicine and Health Sciences, Shanghai, China.

出版信息

Front Psychiatry. 2025 Jul 17;16:1540216. doi: 10.3389/fpsyt.2025.1540216. eCollection 2025.

DOI:10.3389/fpsyt.2025.1540216

PMID:40747265

原文链接:https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12310589/

Abstract

BACKGROUND

The mental health of university students, particularly depression, has become a significant public health concern in China. While previous studies have highlighted the link between self-efficacy and mental health, especially concerning depressive symptoms, the potential mediating role of the big five personality traits in this relationship remains underexplored. This study aims to examine the relationships among self-efficacy, the big five personality traits, and depressive symptoms through a mediation model.

METHODS

This cross-sectional study utilized a multi-stage stratified random sampling method to survey residents across 23 provinces in China, ultimately enrolling 1,193 university students aged 19-25. Measures included the PHQ-9 to assess depressive symptoms, the BFI-10 to evaluate personality traits, and the NGSES for self-efficacy. Hierarchical regression, random forest regression, mediation analyses, and restricted cubic spline (RCS) models were conducted using R software.

RESULTS

The prevalence of depressive symptoms among university students was 21.8%. Neuroticism (<0.001) was a positive predictor of depressive symptoms, while agreeableness (<0.001) and conscientiousness (<0.001) were negative predictors. And agreeableness [Effect = -0.028, 95% CI (-0.045, -0.014)], conscientiousness [Effect = -0.043, 95% CI (-0.067, -0.023)], and neuroticism [Effect = -0.048, 95% CI (-0.070, -0.029)] significantly mediated the relationship between self-efficacy and depressive symptoms. Additionally, a potential nonlinear relationship ( for nonlinearity < 0.001) was identified between self-efficacy and depressive symptoms.

CONCLUSIONS

Self-efficacy shows a direct positive association with depressive symptoms when controlling for personality traits, with neuroticism, agreeableness, and conscientiousness serving as key mediators. This highlights that the effect of self-efficacy on depression depends critically on personality, emphasizing the need to consider these traits in interventions for university students' mental health.

摘要

背景

大学生的心理健康，尤其是抑郁症，已成为中国一个重要的公共卫生问题。虽然先前的研究强调了自我效能感与心理健康之间的联系，特别是与抑郁症状有关，但大五人格特质在这种关系中的潜在中介作用仍未得到充分探索。本研究旨在通过中介模型检验自我效能感、大五人格特质和抑郁症状之间的关系。

方法

本横断面研究采用多阶段分层随机抽样方法，对中国23个省份的居民进行调查，最终招募了1193名年龄在19 - 25岁的大学生。测量工具包括用于评估抑郁症状的PHQ - 9、用于评估人格特质的BFI - 10和用于评估自我效能感的NGSES。使用R软件进行分层回归、随机森林回归、中介分析和受限立方样条（RCS）模型分析。

结果

大学生抑郁症状的患病率为21.8%。神经质（<0.001）是抑郁症状的正向预测因子，而宜人性（<0.001）和尽责性（<0.001）是负向预测因子。宜人性[效应 = -0.028，95%置信区间（-0.045，-0.014）]、尽责性[效应 = -0.043，95%置信区间（-0.067，-0.023）]和神经质[效应 = -0.048，95%置信区间（-0.070，-0.029）]显著中介了自我效能感与抑郁症状之间的关系。此外，还发现自我效能感与抑郁症状之间存在潜在的非线性关系（非线性检验<0.001）。