Relationship between depression, childhood trauma, and psychological resilience in college nursing students: A cross-sectional study

Students in colleges face a high risk of depression. Recognition of depression, childhood trauma, psychological resilience (PR), and the relationship between them is important because if a relationship exists that childhood trauma may contribute to depression, enhancing PR could serve as a protective factor against depression in this population. This study sought to elucidate the mediating pathways through which PR influences the relationship between childhood trauma and depression among college nursing medical students. A cross-sectional study, was conducted among nursing students in a medical college. Investigate 893 nursing medical students in college (mean age: 19.55 ± 0.99 years) using the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale, the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire-Short Form, and the Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale. The mediating mechanism of PR was examined using integrated structural equation modeling and bootstrap resampling techniques. Childhood trauma and depression were significantly associated with PR. A partial mediation pattern was observed, with PR explaining 20.43% of the total effect of childhood trauma on depressive symptoms. These findings provide empirical support for developing trauma-informed interventions targeting depression in college nursing medical students, with a specific emphasis on enhancing PR among those with a history of childhood trauma.