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Impact of Social Support on Depressive Symptoms among Postgraduates during the Coronavirus Disease 2019 Pandemic: A Moderated Mediation Analysis

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  • Peng Wan

    (School of Psychology, Liaoning Normal University, Dalian 116023, China)

  • Jinsheng Hu

    (School of Psychology, Liaoning Normal University, Dalian 116023, China)

  • Qi Li

    (School of Psychology, Liaoning Normal University, Dalian 116023, China)

Abstract

The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic continues to spread worldwide, and its related stressors are causing a high prevalence of mental health problems among graduate students. This has the potential for long-term effects on their mental well-being. However, few large-scale studies have been conducted on multiple risk and protective factors. Therefore, we aimed to test the impact of social support on depressive symptoms among graduate students and analyze the mediating role of positive coping and the regulatory role of neuroticism. From 1–8 October 2021, 1812 Chinese graduate students were surveyed online. We used a structural equation model to study the mediating role of positive coping in the relationship between social support and depressive symptoms and used the Hayes PROCESS macro to conduct mediating analysis. The incidence of depressive symptoms was 10.40%. These results showed that positive coping influenced the social support’s influence on depression symptoms to some extent. Moreover, neuroticism regulates the indirect relationship between social support and depressive symptoms through active coping. Further research is needed to assess the impact of various forms of social support on graduate students’ mental health and to develop strategies for maintaining their well-being, such as network mindfulness.

Suggested Citation

  • Peng Wan & Jinsheng Hu & Qi Li, 2023. "Impact of Social Support on Depressive Symptoms among Postgraduates during the Coronavirus Disease 2019 Pandemic: A Moderated Mediation Analysis," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(4), pages 1-13, February.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:20:y:2023:i:4:p:3431-:d:1069723
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    1. Holly Blake & Holly Knight & Ru Jia & Jessica Corner & Joanne R. Morling & Chris Denning & Jonathan K. Ball & Kirsty Bolton & Grazziela Figueredo & David E. Morris & Patrick Tighe & Armando Mendez Vil, 2021. "Students’ Views towards Sars-Cov-2 Mass Asymptomatic Testing, Social Distancing and Self-Isolation in a University Setting during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Qualitative Study," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(8), pages 1-19, April.
    2. Lijun Zhuo & Qian Wu & Hong Le & Hao Li & Ling Zheng & Guoqing Ma & Hongbing Tao, 2021. "COVID-19-Related Intolerance of Uncertainty and Mental Health among Back-To-School Students in Wuhan: The Moderation Effect of Social Support," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(3), pages 1-11, January.
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