The relationship between perceived stress, psychological resilience, and depressive symptoms in college students, and the moderating role of gender

This study explored the mediating role of multiple dimensions of psychological resilience in the relationship between perceived stress and depressive symptoms, and further examined the moderating role of gender in this relationship. Survey responses from 1193 college students, assessing their perceived stress, depressive symptoms, and psychological resilience, were analyzed using Pearson correlation analysis and structural equation modeling. Perceived stress was significantly positively correlated with depressive symptoms, and negatively correlated with the three dimensions of resilience (tenacity, strength, and optimism). In addition, depressive symptoms were also significantly negatively correlated with these three resilience dimensions. The total and direct effects of perceived stress on depressive symptoms were both significant, with direct effect accounting for 81.28%. The mediating effect of tenacity was also significant, accounting for 18.72% of the total effect. Gender moderated the direct path from perceived stress to depressive symptoms and from tenacity to depressive symptoms. Women showed significantly higher risk of depression under high stress compared to men, with tenacity serving as a protective factor for them. Thus, college students' perceived stress levels were closely related to depressive symptoms, which warrants universities to take note and implement personalized interventions to enhance psychological resilience while monitoring changes in students' depressive symptoms.