Parental Bonding and College Freshmen’s Depression Symptoms in China: The Mediating Role of Neuroticism

Background: This study aims to examine the influence of parental bonding on depression symptoms and the mediating role of neuroticism in their association among college freshmen. Methods: : A sample of 2636 first-year college students from a university in Liaoning province, China were recruited. The care and control subscales of Parental Bonding Instrument (PBI), Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI–Ⅱ), and the neuroticism scale of Eysenck Personality Questionnaire (EPQ) were used to measure parental bonding, depression symptoms, and neuroticism, respectively. Results: : Structural equation models indicated that maternal or paternal care negatively predicted depression symptoms, while maternal control had a significant and positive prediction of depression symptoms. Additionally, the interaction effects between care and control from both mothers and fathers on depression symptoms were also significant. The negative predictive effects of parental (maternal or paternal) care on depression symptoms were greater when parental (maternal or paternal) control was at a high level. Finally, neuroticism partially mediated the relationships between maternal care or control and depressive symptoms, paternal care and depressive symptoms; while served as a full mediator in the association between paternal control and depression symptoms. Conclusion: Parental bonding can directly affect college freshmen’s depression symptoms, and have indirect effects via the mediating role of neuroticism. These results may advance our understanding of the influence of family environment on college freshmen’s depression symptoms and its mechanisms.