The Mediating Role of Social Support in the Relationship Between Attitudes Toward Professional Psychological Help and Depressive Symptoms Among First-Year College Students

This study investigated whether <italic>social support</italic> mediates the relationship between <italic>attitudes toward seeking professional psychological help</italic> and <italic>depressive symptoms</italic> among first-year college students. A total of <italic>N</italic> = 337 students completed measures of help-seeking attitudes, social support, and depressive symptoms. Results showed that help-seeking attitudes were positively associated with social support and negatively associated with depressive symptoms. Social support also negatively correlated with depressive symptoms and partially mediated the relationship between help-seeking attitudes and depressive symptoms (<italic>indirect effect</italic> = -0.06, 95% CI [-0.11, -0.02]). These findings highlight the importance of both positive help-seeking attitudes and social support in reducing depression among college students.