A chain mediation model reveals the association between mindfulness and depression of college students.

Mindfulness is linked to lower depression in college students, partly through greater meaning in life and psychological resilience. In a survey of 1,034 students, the direct effect of mindfulness on depression accounted for 61% of the total effect. Meaning in life and resilience each mediated part of the relationship, with effect amounts of 13% and 22% respectively. A chain mediation—mindfulness to meaning in life to resilience to depression—accounted for 4% of the effect. The findings suggest that mindfulness may reduce depression by enhancing both a sense of purpose and the capacity to cope with adversity.

Study at a glance

Abstract

The study aims to explore the relationship among mindfulness, depression, meaning in life (MIL) and psychological resilience (PR), and verify whether MIL and PR have a chain mediating effect between mindfulness and depression. 1034 college students in a province were investigated by using Adolescent Mindfulness Scale, Depression Scale, Meaning in Life Scale and Psychological Resilience Scale. Hierarchical multiple regression and bootstrap was used to analyze the data and test whether MIL and PR play a chain mediating role between mindfulness and depression among university students. In the present research, the direct effect value of mindfulness on college students' depression was 0.14, and the effect amount was 61%. The effect values of MIL and PR between mindfulness and college students' depression were 0.03 and 0.05, and the effect amount is 13% and 22%. In the meantime, the chain mediating effect of MIL and PR was significant, the effect value is 0.01 and the effect amount is 4%. The effects of mindfulness on depression of university students were mediated by MIL, PR and the chain of MIL and PR.