Family Support and Somatic Symptoms: The Serial Mediating Roles of Anxiety and Depression—A Multi-Group Comparison Between Peer Counselors and General Students

Objective: This study examines the relationship between family support and somatic symptoms and tests whether anxiety and depression serially mediate this relationship differently between peer counselors and general students within an integrated framework of Conservation of Resources Theory, Social Support Theory, and the Gain Spiral mechanism. Methods: A total of 2576 peer counselors and 5446 general students completed the University Personality Inventory (UPI), the Depression–Anxiety–Stress Scale (DASS-21), and the Perceived Social Support Scale (PSSS). Results: ① Peer counselors reported higher family support and lower depression, anxiety, and somatic symptoms than general students. ② Depression independently mediated the effect in both groups (68.4% vs. 82.6% of the total effect; group difference non-significant). ③ Serial mediation via anxiety and depression was significant and full in general students, but not-significant in peer counselors, where only anxiety acted as an independent mediator. Conclusions: The association between family support and somatic symptoms follows distinct pathways across groups. General students exhibit a complete anxiety–depression sequential mediation pathway. In contrast, peer counselors show a simplified mediation pattern alongside a stronger direct association. These findings offer empirical evidence for developing tiered mental health strategies in higher education.