The Mediating Role of the Big Five Personality Traits in the Relationship between Self-Efficacy and Depressive Symptoms among College Students

The Mediating Role of the Big Five Personality Traits in the Relationship between Self-Efficacy and Depressive Symptoms among College Students | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article The Mediating Role of the Big Five Personality Traits in the Relationship between Self-Efficacy and Depressive Symptoms among College Students Yu Yang, Zhen Mou, Lingling Zhang, Shurong Ma, Zhenxiong Zhao This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-5466779/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Background College students are at increased risk of depression. While previous studies have highlighted the link between self-efficacy and mental health, especially concerning depressive symptoms, the potential mediating role of the Big Five personality traits in this relationship remains underexplored. This study aims to examine the relationships among self-efficacy, the Big Five personality traits, and depressive symptoms through a mediation model. Methods This cross-sectional study utilized a multi-stage stratified random sampling method to survey residents across 23 provinces in China, ultimately enrolling 1,193 college students aged 19–25. Measures included the PHQ-9 to assess depressive symptoms, the BFI-10 to evaluate personality traits, and the NGSES for self-efficacy. Hierarchical regression, random forest regression, mediation analyses, and restricted cubic spline (RCS) models were conducted using R software. Results The prevalence of depressive symptoms among college students was 21.8%. Neuroticism ( P < 0.001) was a positive predictor of depressive symptoms, while agreeableness ( P < 0.001) and conscientiousness ( P < 0.001) were negative predictors. And, agreeableness [Effect = -0.028, 95% CI (-0.045, -0.014)], conscientiousness [Effect = -0.043, 95% CI (-0.067, -0.023)], and neuroticism [Effect = -0.048, 95% CI (-0.070, -0.029)] significantly mediated the relationship between self-efficacy and depressive symptoms. Additionally, A potential nonlinear relationship ( P for nonlinearity < 0.001) was identified between self-efficacy and depressive symptoms. Conclusions Self-efficacy and personality traits, particularly high neuroticism and low agreeableness and conscientiousness, are significant factors influencing depressive symptoms among college students. Interventions that target these traits and cultivate self-efficacy may be beneficial for enhancing mental health among adolescents during this critical developmental period. depressive symptoms self-efficacy big five personality traits college students Figures Figure 1 Figure 2 Figure 3 Figure 4 1. Introduction Depression is one of the most prevalent mental disorders globally, affecting millions of people each year [ 1 ]. Previous research has shown that compared to the general population, college students are more prone to mental health issues [ 2 – 4 ]. They face multiple challenges, including academic pressure, employment pressure, and social restrictions, which increase their risk of experiencing stress, anxiety, and depression [ 5 ]. Although we have entered the post-pandemic era, these impacts persist and urgently require our attention. Early identification of factors influencing depressive symptoms among college students and exploring the potential mechanisms of these factors on depressive symptoms are crucial for the effective prevention and treatment of depression. Personality psychology states that personality traits can distinguish stable differences between different individuals and predict behavioral tendencies. The Five-Factor Model of Personality, which includes conscientiousness, agreeableness, neuroticism, openness, and extraversion, is an important framework for describing individual personality traits [ 6 ]. People with different personality traits will show different personality tendencies. Studies have indicated that Extraversion, agreeableness, conscientiousness and openness of the Big Five were negatively correlated with depressive symptoms, while neuroticism was positively correlated with depressive symptoms [ 7 , 8 ]. Moreover, neuroticism is one of the most common and severe traits in depression [ 9 ]. Neuroticism is characterized by emotional reactivity, anxiety, and negative emotions [ 10 ], and is widely recognized as being associated with a high risk of depression [ 11 , 12 ]. Although there have been studies exploring the relationship between the big five personality traits and depression, there is still limited knowledge about these associations in the population of college students. Self-efficacy refers to subjective judgment and confidence level in one’s ability to complete a task [ 13 ]. As an essential internal psychological resource of individuals, self-efficacy has a strong relationship with the big five personality [ 14 ]. Evidence suggests that the lower the level of neuroticism and the higher the levels of extraversion, openness, agreeableness, and conscientiousness, the higher the general self-efficacy [ 15 – 17 ]. Since Bandura introduced the concept of self-efficacy, research has shown that individuals with higher self-efficacy scores are less likely to exhibit depressive symptoms [ 18 , 19 ]. Furthermore, self-efficacy plays a crucial role in managing stress, promoting family health, and preventing depressive symptoms among college students [ 20 , 21 ]. Despite previous research confirming the association between self-efficacy and depressive symptoms, the role of personality traits in this relationship has not been validated. Therefore, it is particularly important to clarify the role of the big five personality traits in the relationship between self-efficacy and depressive symptoms among college students. Additionally, the mental and physical health issues of college students not only affect the individuals themselves but also impact the progress and development of society as a whole. Thus, it is necessary to conduct in-depth research on depressive symptoms and their influencing factors among college students. This study proposes hypothesis H1: self-efficacy can negatively predict depressive symptoms among college students. And, we put forward the hypothesis H2: The big five personality traits mediate the relationship between self-efficacy and depression. H2a: Extraversion mediates the relationship between self-efficacy and depression. H2b: Conscientiousness mediates the relationship between self-efficacy and depression. H2c: Agreeableness mediates the relationship between self-efficacy and depression. H2d: Openness mediates the relationship between self-efficacy and depression. H2e: Neuroticism mediates the relationship between self-efficacy and depression. 2. Methods 2.1 Study design The data utilized in this study were derived from the Psychology and Behavior Investigation of Chinese Residents (PBICR) survey. 1,193 enrolled college students, aged 19–25, were included in our study. 2.2 Measures Basic demographic characteristics were measured, including gender, residence, household debt, living alone, body mass index (BMI). Additionally, the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) [ 22 ], the 10-item Big Five Inventory (BFI-10) [ 23 ], the New General Self-Efficacy Scale (NGSES) [ 24 ] were used to assess depressive symptoms, role of big five personality traits and self-efficacy, respectively. In this study, a PHQ-9 total score of ≥ 10 was considered as potentially indicating clinical depressive symptoms [ 25 , 26 ]. 2.3 Statistical analyses To present participants’ demographic characteristics, means ± standard deviations (SD) were provided for continuous variables, and one-way-ANOVA test was utilized for comparing differences among groups. While for categorical variables, numbers (percentages) were presented, and Pearson chi-squared test was utilized to analyze inter-group differences. The bivariate correlation analysis was performed to examine the correlations among the study variables, including self-efficacy, Big Five personality traits, and depressive symptoms. To evaluate the relationship between self-efficacy and depression, hierarchical regression models were established. In the multicollinearity test, the variance inflation factor (VIF) [ 27 ] for each variable included in our analysis was determined, which was all below 2 (Additional file 1: Table S1 ) , suggesting no evidence of significant multicollinearity. Subsequently, a random forest regression model was applied to analyze the impact of self-efficacy and Big Five personality traits on depressive symptoms, focusing on the variable importance, interactions. Following, the mediating model was analyzed using the PROCESS macro. The model 4 [ 28 ] was used to examine whether there is a mediating effect of the big five personality traits on the relationship between self-efficacy and depression. The bias-corrected 95% confidence intervals (CI) were calculated through 5000 bootstrap resamples. If the 95% confidence interval of the indirect effect does not contain 0, it indicates a significant mediating effect. Otherwise, there is no mediating effect, with α = 0.05. Additionally, a fully adjusted multivariable restricted cubic spline (RCS) analysis (using 4 knots at the 5th, 35th, 65th, and 95th percentiles, respectively) was performed to assess the linearity and dose-response relationship between self-efficacy and depression. All statistical analyses were conducted using SPSS version 27.0 and R version 4.4.0. 3. Results 3.1 Sociodemographic characteristics and depressive symptoms In this study, Table 1 reports that a total of 1,193 participants were included, of whom 21.8% exhibited clinical depressive symptoms. Among the participants, 710 (59.51%) were female, 362 (30.34%) resided in urban areas, and 518 (43.42%) had household debt. And, 80 (6.71%) participants reported living alone. Notably, the differences of depressive symptoms were statistically significant ( P < 0.05) in gender, living alone,openness, agreeableness, conscientiousness, extraversion, neuroticism, and self-efficacy, indicating that these factors have a significant impact on college students’ depressive symptoms. 3.2 Correlations of the studied variables Table 2 shows the correlations among self-efficacy, the big five personality traits, and depression symptoms in college students. The results indicate that self-efficacy is negatively correlated with depression symptoms (r = -0.059, P < 0.05). Self-efficacy is positively correlated with the big five personality traits of openness (r = 0.198, P < 0.01), agreeableness (r = 0.165, P < 0.01), conscientiousness (r = 0.290, P < 0.01), extraversion (r = 0.198, P < 0.01), and neuroticism (r = 0.267, P < 0.01). Additionally, openness (r = -0.085, P < 0.01), agreeableness (r = -0.212, P < 0.01), conscientiousness (r = -0.151, P < 0.01), extraversion (r = -0.104, P < 0.01), and neuroticism (r = -0.204, P < 0.01) are all negatively correlated with depression symptoms. 3.3 Hierarchical regression analysis of predictive variables on depressive symptoms Table 3 presents the results of the hierarchical regression analysis. First, self-efficacy and gender were included in the model. Self-efficacy (b = -0.066, P = 0.038) had a significant effect on depressive symptoms, with an adjusted R² of 0.004. Next, residence, debt, living alone, and BMI were added to the model. Both self-efficacy (b = -0.063, P = 0.049) and living alone (b = 2.766, P = 0.001) significantly influenced depressive symptoms. At this stage, the adjusted R² increased from 0.004 to 0.014. Finally, when the five dimensions of the Big Five personality traits were introduced into the model, the effect of self-efficacy on depressive symptoms remained statistically significant ( P = 0.035). Notably, the regression coefficient shifted from -0.063 to 0.070, suggesting that higher levels of self-efficacy might be associated with a greater likelihood of depressive symptoms in this context. Among the Big Five traits, neuroticism, conscientiousness, and agreeableness were significantly related to depressive symptoms. The adjusted R² increased from 3.922 to 12.580. Specifically, conscientiousness (b = -0.581, P < 0.001) and agreeableness (b = -0.670, P < 0.001) were negative predictors of depressive symptoms, while neuroticism (b = 0.705, P < 0.001) was a positive predictor. 3.4 Random forest regression analysis of predictive variables on depressive symptoms The results of the random forest regression model indicate that ( Fig. 1 ), in terms of variable importance, self-efficacy is the most significant predictor in the model, with a variable importance (VImp) value of 1.47. This underscores its substantial impact on predictions. Following are neuroticism, agreeableness, and conscientiousness, with VImp values of 1.23, 1.175, and 1.019, respectively. Regarding variable interactions, the interaction between self-efficacy and agreeableness is the most pronounced, with a variable interaction measure (VInt) value of 0.674. Next, the interaction between self-efficacy and conscientiousness reaches a value of 0.575. Other interactions, such as those between self-efficacy and neuroticism, extraversion, and openness, show values of 0.448, 0.404, and 0.33, respectively. These results highlight the importance of these variables and their interactions in predicting depression (Additional file 1: Table S2) . 3.5 Mediation analysis of big five personality traits Adjusted mediation models controlling for variables ( Fig. 2 ) showed that self-efficacy was significantly associated with the five dimensions of the Big Five personality traits. Specifically, self-efficacy had a significant positive effect on openness (b = 0.053, P < 0.001), agreeableness (b = 0.042, P < 0.001), conscientiousness (b = 0.074, P < 0.001), and extraversion (b = 0.057, P < 0.001) and a significant negative effect on neuroticism (b = -0.292, P < 0.001). Further mediation analysis ( Fig. 3 ) showed significant total and direct effects of self-efficacy on depressive symptoms, with effect sizes of [Effect = -0.064, 95% CI (-0.126, -0.001)] and [Effect = 0.071, 95% CI (0.005, 0.136)], respectively. Additionally, the mediation effect [Effect = -0.133, 95% CI (-0.171, -0.099)] was significant, representing 65.7% of the effect proportion. Notably, of the five mediation paths examined, only agreeableness [Effect = -0.028, 95% CI (-0.045, -0.014)], conscientiousness [Effect = -0.043, 95% CI (-0.067, -0.023)], and neuroticism [Effect = -0.048, 95% CI (-0.070, -0.029)] were significant, with effect proportions accounting for 13.8%, 2.12%, and 23.7%, respectively. These findings suggest that personality traits mediate the relationship between self-efficacy and depressive symptoms. 3.6 Trend Analysis of self-Efficacy on depressive symptoms Due to the differing trends between the direct effect of self-efficacy on depressive symptoms and its total and indirect effects observed in the mediation analysis, we further investigated the potential nonlinear relationship between self-efficacy and depressive symptoms using restricted cubic spline (RCS) curves. Fig. 4 illustrates a significant nonlinear relationship between self-efficacy and depressive symptoms ( P for overall < 0.001, P for nonlinearity < 0.001). 4. Discussion In this study, the prevalence of depressive symptoms among college students during the COVID-19 pandemic was 21.8%. This relatively high prevalence of depression is comparable to estimates from other related analyses, such as a recent study which found a 21.1% prevalence among Chinese college students [ 29 ]. Similarly, the prevalence of depressive symptoms was reported to be 29% among French students [ 30 ], 25.3% at Capital Medical College [ 31 ], and 24.3% among medical students, with 30.6% experiencing generalized anxiety disorder [ 32 ]. Regional differences and varying measurement methods may account for some of these discrepancies. Overall, the high incidence of depressive symptoms among college students during the COVID-19 pandemic warrants greater attention. Despite previous research indicating that self-efficacy impacts depressive states, the influence of personality traits on the relationship between self-efficacy and depression has not been thoroughly examined, particularly among college students. In our linear regression analyses (model 1 and model 2), results indicate a significant negative association between self-efficacy and depressive symptoms, supporting hypothesis H1 and aligning with prior research[ 33 ]. However, when the Big Five personality traits are included in the model3, the relationship between self-efficacy and depressive symptoms shifts. Specifically, self-efficacy emerges as a direct positive predictor of depressive symptoms. This finding diverges from previous studies where self-efficacy is typically regarded as a protective factor against depression. Such a shift may suggest a non-linear relationship between self-efficacy and depressive symptoms when accounting for the Big Five personality traits and other variables. For example, a study pointed out a non-linear, inverse-U shaped relationship between maternal self-efficacy and outcomes [ 34 ]. Additionally, prior research has shown that the role of self-efficacy is not uniformly beneficial, and that higher levels of self-efficacy can sometimes lead to increases in neuroendocrine and psychological stress responses and decreases in performance, a phenomenon that has been widely neglected [ 35 ]. Therefore, students with higher self-efficacy tend to set more ambitious goals, believing in their capacity to achieve them. However, when they encounter difficulties or fail to meet their expectations, they may experience greater stress and frustration, thereby increasing the likelihood of developing depressive symptoms. Therefore, further research is warranted to explore the specific mechanisms and influencing factors underlying this relationship. When the Big Five traits are introduced as mediators, agreeableness, conscientiousness, and extraversion exhibit a negative association with depressive symptoms. Notably, self-efficacy interacts separately with each of these three personality traits, indirectly contributing to a negative effect with depressive symptoms through their interaction. These findings support hypotheses H2b, H2c, and H2e and are consistent with previous research. [ 36 ]. College students with a high sense of conscientiousness tend to have strong self-efficacy, are more likely to maintain a positive attitude and emotions, and are more able to effectively cope with various challenges and pressures in life, thus reducing the risk of depression [ 37 ]. Individuals with high agreeableness and conscientiousness are empathetic and cooperative, resulting in pleasant and harmonious relationships with others [ 38 ] An online study of 635 Finnish college students revealed that students with high agreeableness tend to have lower tendencies of rumination, self-reported stress, depressive symptoms, and anxiety [ 39 ]. A cross-sectional study in South Korea also indicated that low agreeableness is associated with depression in young people [ 40 ]. Moreover, research has found that agreeableness and conscientiousness were closely associated with the amygdala and ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC) in the brain [ 41 ]. The amygdala is responsible for processing emotional reactions, while the vmPFC is involved in emotion regulation and social cognition [ 42 ]. Highly agreeable individuals show greater activity in these areas, allowing them to better manage and regulate emotions, thereby enhancing self-efficacy and reducing the risk of depression [ 43 ]. In one study, individuals with high agreeableness and conscientiousness were able to activate the vmPFC more quickly during social conflicts, facilitating emotional regulation and reducing the impact of negative emotions. On the other hand, individuals with high neuroticism are more likely to experience negative emotions and emotional fluctuations, which lead to a heightened perception of and reaction to negative emotions, thereby reducing self-efficacy [ 44 ]. The combination of low self-efficacy and frequent negative emotional experiences significantly increases the risk of depression. In our study, hypotheses H2a and H2d were not supported, indicating that openness and extraversion do not have a mediating effect. Previous research frequently found no significant correlation between openness and depression [ 45 ]. Openness is divided into six narrower facets: fantasy, aesthetics, feelings, actions, ideas, and values [ 46 ]. However, the relationships between these six dimensions and depression are not consistent, with only the aesthetic aspect positively correlated with depression, while the other five aspects are not significant [ 47 ]. This may explain the lack of a clear link between openness and depression. Openness is associated with creativity and an open mindset, involving the brain's default mode network (DMN), which is related to self-reflection and creative thinking [ 48 ]. Despite openness having a significant impact on cognition and creativity, it may not play a notable mediating role in the relationship between self-efficacy and depression. This could be because openness influences cognitive flexibility more than it directly affects emotional and psychological health. Extraversion is associated with positive emotions and social abilities, involving the brain's reward system, particularly the mesolimbic system [ 49 ]. Highly extraverted individuals generally feel more pleasure in social situations [ 50 ]. However, in the relationship between self-efficacy and depression, extraversion does not have a significant mediating effect. This may be because extraversion influences social behavior more than it directly impacts self-efficacy and emotional states. These research findings indicate that interventions focusing on both individual personality traits and self-efficacy may be the most effective in alleviating depressive symptoms among college students. The current focus of stress and health research needs to shift from managing health risks to fostering individual strengths and resilience. For individuals with high neuroticism scores, maladaptive cognitive patterns can be addressed and coping self-efficacy can be trained to change their coping strategies. For example, cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) and resilience training have been shown to effectively enhance adaptive coping mechanisms, perceived social support, and alleviate psychological distress [ 51 ]. Moreover, acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), and mindfulness meditation have also shown positive effects in alleviating depressive symptoms [ 52 , 53 ]. Therefore, administrators at college mental health counseling centers, student activity centers, and related departments should implement such training programs to help students better cope with stress and maintain psychological well-being. Limitations Firstly, this is a cross-sectional study. While it suits our research hypothesis, it does not allow us to draw causal conclusions. In future research, we can use experimental control designs to compare depressed and non-depressed populations, exploring the impact of media on depression to strengthen causal explanations. Secondly, this study relies on self-reported data, which is a limitation as it increases the risk of social desirability bias. Incorporating qualitative research methods, such as in-depth interviews, can further explore the relationships between self-efficacy, personality, and depression, thereby enhancing the credibility of the results. Conclusions This study is the first to employ a mediation model to investigate the relationships among self-efficacy, the Big Five personality traits, and depression among Chinese college students during the COVID-19 pandemic. The findings reveal that self-efficacy significantly influences all five personality traits. Additionally, individuals exhibiting high levels of neuroticism, along with low levels of agreeableness and conscientiousness, are more susceptible to experiencing depression. It is particularly important for college students to comprehend how self-efficacy affects various personality traits, as this understanding enhances their capacity to effectively navigate mental health challenges. Declarations Ethics approval and consent to participate This study was approved by the Ethics Committees of the Shaanxi Provincial Research Center for Health Culture (Approval No. JKWH-2021-01) and Jinan University (Approval No. JNUKY-2021-018). Clinical trial number: not applicable. All participants provided informed consent after being informed of the experimental requirements. The research was conducted in accordance with the guidelines outlined in the Declaration of Helsinki. Author Contribution declaration Y. Y. conceived and designed the research questions, performed data analysis and interpretation of the survey results, wrote the first draft of the paper, and revised the manuscript. Finalized the manuscript. Z. Z. conceived and designed the research questions, provided scientific opinions, and contributed to manuscript revision. S. M. provided scientific opinions, revised the manuscript, and finalized the manuscript. L. Z. provided scientific opinions and contributed to manuscript revision. Z. M. provided scientific opinions and contributed to manuscript revision. All authors read and approved the final manuscript. Availability of data and materials The datasets analyzed during the current study are available in the Psychology and Behavior Investigation of Chinese Residents (PBICR) repository, https://www.x-mol.com/groups/pbicr. Consent to Publish declaration The authors declare that they have no competing interests. All authors read and approved the final manuscript. Funding National Natural Science Foundation of China (32200095). Young Elite Scientists Sponsorship Program by CAST (2022QNRC001). Acknowledgements We would like to thank Psychology and Behavior Investigation of Chinese Residents coordinating centers for developing the data collection infrastructure for this project. The authors also wish to express their gratitude to the study participants and the worksite organizers. Conflict of Interest and Financial Disclosure: The authors declare no conflicts of interest or financial disclosures. References Vu QT, Harada K, Nishimura Y, Hagiya H, Tan E, Lehasa OME, et al. Burden of depressive disorders in Vietnam from 1990 to 2019: A secondary analysis of the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019. J Psychiatr Res. 2024;172:420–6. Stallman HM. Psychological distress in university students: A comparison with general population data. Australian Psychol. 2010;45:249–57. Ibrahim AK, Kelly SJ, Adams CE, Glazebrook C. 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Front Neurol. 2023;14:1235348. Wacker J, Smillie LD. Trait extraversion and dopamine function. Soc Pers Psychol Compass. 2015;9:225–38. Hutcherson CA, Goldin PR, Ramel W, McRae K, Gross JJ. Attention and emotion influence the relationship between extraversion and neural response. Soc Cognit Affect Neurosci. 2008;3:71–9. Maddi SR, Kahn S, Maddi KL. The effectiveness of hardiness training. Consulting Psychol Journal: Pract Res. 1998;50:78. Hayes SC, Strosahl KD, Wilson KG. Acceptance and commitment therapy: An experiential approach to behavior change. New York, NY, US: Guilford Press; 1999. Edenfield TM, Saeed SA. An update on mindfulness meditation as a self-help treatment for anxiety and depression. Psychol Res Behav Manage. 2012;:131–41. Tables Table 1 . The demographic characteristics and the distribution of depressive symptoms. Characteristics Depression status p-value Total No Yes n(%) 1193 933(78.2) 260(21.8) Gender 0.035 Male 483 (40.49) 363 (75.16) 120 (24.84) Female 710 (59.51) 570 (80.28) 140 (19.72) Residence 0.278 City 831 (69.66) 657 (79.06) 174 (20.94) Country 362 (30.34) 276 (76.24) 86 (23.76) Household debt 0.208 No 675 (56.58) 519 (76.89) 156 (23.11) Yes 518 (43.42) 414 (79.92) 104 (20.08) Living alone <0.001 No 1113 (93.29) 414 (79.92) 104 (20.08) Yes 80 (6.71) 47 (58.75) 33 (41.25) BMI 20.93 ± 3.00 886 (79.60) 227 (20.40) 0.919 Openness 6.96 ± 1.48 47 (58.75) 33 (41.25) 0.004 Agreeableness 6.92 ± 1.36 7.04 ± 1.33 6.48 ± 1.38 <0.001 Conscientiousness 6.17 ± 1.38 6.26 ± 1.39 5.83 ± 1.28 <0.001 Extraversion 6.32 ± 1.64 6.36 ± 1.64 6.17 ± 1.65 0.085 Neuroticism 6.04 ± 1.42 6.14 ± 1.42 5.68 ± 1.35 <0.001 Self-efficacy 28.73 ± 5.46 28.94 ± 5.22 27.99 ± 6.20 0.024 Note: Variables are presented as mean ± SD or n (%). Abbreviations: BMI, body mass index. Table 2 . Correlations of the studied variables. Variable 1 2 3 4 5 6 Depression Self-efficacy -0.059* Openness -0.085** 0.198** Agreeableness -0.212** 0.165** 0.185** Conscientiousness -0.151** 0.290** 0.125** 0.104** Extraversion -0.104** 0.198** 0.201** 0.045 0.195** Neuroticism -0.204** 0.267** 0.109** 0.224** 0.110** 0.201** Note: *p<0.05, **p<0.01. Table 3 Hierarchical regression analysis of depressive symptoms. Forecast variable Model1 Model2 Model3 B t P β t P β t P Self-efficacy -0.066 -2.075 0.038 -0.063 -1.972 0.049 0.071 2.115 0.035 Gender -0.526 -1.485 0.138 -0.416 -1.141 0.254 -0.573 -1.617 0.106 Residence 0.331 0.873 0.383 0.212 0.576 0.565 Household debt -0.117 -0.335 0.738 -0.161 -0.479 0.632 Living alone 2.766 3.977 <0.001 2.641 3.942 <0.001 BMI -0.011 -0.185 0.853 -0.028 -0.489 0.625 Openness -0.081 -0.684 0.494 Agreeableness -0.670 -5.19 <0.001 Conscientiousness -0.581 -4.531 <0.001 Extraversion -0.175 -1.628 0.104 Neuroticism 0.705 5.583 <0.001 F 3.178 3.922 12.580 Adjusted R² 0.004 0.014 0.097 Additional Declarations No competing interests reported. Supplementary Files TableS1.xlsx TableS2.xlsx Cite Share Download PDF Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. 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Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-5466779","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Research Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":383001979,"identity":"dc354e37-4dd0-443b-bf61-6df26c4b0ec3","order_by":0,"name":"Yu Yang","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"University of Shanghai for Science and Technology","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Yu","middleName":"","lastName":"Yang","suffix":""},{"id":383001980,"identity":"fcd28e21-324c-432a-b23a-5fe3d4f449b9","order_by":1,"name":"Zhen Mou","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Taizhou Central Hospital (Taizhou University Hospital)","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Zhen","middleName":"","lastName":"Mou","suffix":""},{"id":383001981,"identity":"d2d8cb01-67ec-430f-b0ad-200dfdb3e058","order_by":2,"name":"Lingling Zhang","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Taizhou Central Hospital (Taizhou University Hospital)","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Lingling","middleName":"","lastName":"Zhang","suffix":""},{"id":383001982,"identity":"51b1ab19-761c-4db4-b0b1-4d2a6ab1b21d","order_by":3,"name":"Shurong Ma","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"The First Affiliated Hospital of Dalian Medical University","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Shurong","middleName":"","lastName":"Ma","suffix":""},{"id":383001983,"identity":"ddc37c10-f323-4816-8d98-9c100a69348b","order_by":4,"name":"Zhenxiong Zhao","email":"data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAZAAAAAyAQMAAABI0h/eAAAABlBMVEX///8AAABVwtN+AAAACXBIWXMAAA7EAAAOxAGVKw4bAAAA10lEQVRIiWNgGAWjYDACZhBRYSPHz958gCGBeC1n0owle44lEKkFBBjbDica3PAxIE61wXHmYw+/th1OkJzB8/nDwx12DPzt3fgtk2xmSzeWOZeexy/du00i8Uwyg8SZsxvwauFn5jGTliizLpacc3YbQ2IbM4OBRC5+LWxgLWzMiRtu5Dz+kNhWT1gLyBbJD23OIC0MEolthwlrAfolTRoayGZALcd5CPrF4PzhY5I/IFH5+OPPtmo5/vZe/FpAgJkHicODUxkyYPxBlLJRMApGwSgYsQAA4G5GehdptM8AAAAASUVORK5CYII=","orcid":"","institution":"Taizhou Central Hospital (Taizhou University Hospital)","correspondingAuthor":true,"prefix":"","firstName":"Zhenxiong","middleName":"","lastName":"Zhao","suffix":""}],"badges":[],"createdAt":"2024-11-16 16:23:08","currentVersionCode":1,"declarations":"","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-5466779/v1","doiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-5466779/v1","draftVersion":[],"editorialEvents":[],"editorialNote":"","failedWorkflow":false,"files":[{"id":70446821,"identity":"ab6c7c25-e355-44f1-9bdd-b85c1e0c0220","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2024-12-03 08:59:58","extension":"jpg","order_by":1,"title":"Figure 1","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":51600,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003eVariable importance and interaction heatmap for predictors of depression.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eNote:\u003c/em\u003e Vint (Variable Interaction Measures): The depth of color represents the interaction effect between variables, with darker colors indicating a stronger interaction effect (0.7 being the maximum value). Vimp (Variable Importance): The depth of color represents the importance of each variable, with darker colors indicating a greater contribution to the model's prediction of depression (1.6 being the maximum value).\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"fig.1.jpg","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-5466779/v1/9dd5d483fa324acdaec87160.jpg"},{"id":70448192,"identity":"6e1c88ba-9e80-4699-83d8-1588e506cbfc","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2024-12-03 09:15:58","extension":"jpg","order_by":2,"title":"Figure 2","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":275695,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003eThe intermediary verification model of big five personality.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eNote:\u003c/em\u003e Controlling for gender, residence, household delt, living alone, BMI. \u003cem\u003e***P\u003c/em\u003e\u0026lt;0.001.\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"fig.2.jpg","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-5466779/v1/9c8c68fac05265d6f43f9de6.jpg"},{"id":70447173,"identity":"2c0a9e3a-d167-4af4-98d2-894ba59d281d","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2024-12-03 09:07:58","extension":"jpg","order_by":3,"title":"Figure 3","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":103272,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003eSee image above for figure legend\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"fig3.tif.jpg","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-5466779/v1/9d7b304785259230626ec159.jpg"},{"id":70446822,"identity":"14c4fbce-3c65-4a26-9e4c-e8d9112213a3","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2024-12-03 08:59:58","extension":"jpg","order_by":4,"title":"Figure 4","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":456393,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003eAssociation between the self-efficacy and depression.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eNote:\u003c/em\u003eThe model was adjusted for gender, residence, household delt living alone, BMI.\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"fig4.tif.jpg","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-5466779/v1/60cf733c750c29efeb93a0e5.jpg"},{"id":70548570,"identity":"8b463a52-4e4e-4b83-b919-b2e618f5cc94","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2024-12-04 09:39:23","extension":"pdf","order_by":0,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"manuscript-pdf","size":1452135,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"manuscript.pdf","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-5466779/v1/237234c8-d7e2-49af-b34b-09aab9776340.pdf"},{"id":70447175,"identity":"1d50dfec-6f2c-4929-b1d0-439ec951d7ca","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2024-12-03 09:07:58","extension":"xlsx","order_by":1,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"supplement","size":9439,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"TableS1.xlsx","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-5466779/v1/a5949056a58074e58c10116d.xlsx"},{"id":70447172,"identity":"23aada5a-e45a-44df-9247-8ecba378b201","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2024-12-03 09:07:58","extension":"xlsx","order_by":2,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"supplement","size":9467,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"TableS2.xlsx","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-5466779/v1/6c187ed382571f872859d7dd.xlsx"}],"financialInterests":"No competing interests reported.","formattedTitle":"The Mediating Role of the Big Five Personality Traits in the Relationship between Self-Efficacy and Depressive Symptoms among College Students","fulltext":[{"header":"1. Introduction","content":"\u003cp\u003eDepression is one of the most prevalent mental disorders globally, affecting millions of people each year [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR1\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e1\u003c/span\u003e]. Previous research has shown that compared to the general population, college students are more prone to mental health issues [\u003cspan additionalcitationids=\"CR3\" citationid=\"CR2\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2\u003c/span\u003e\u0026ndash;\u003cspan citationid=\"CR4\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e4\u003c/span\u003e]. They face multiple challenges, including academic pressure, employment pressure, and social restrictions, which increase their risk of experiencing stress, anxiety, and depression [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR5\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e5\u003c/span\u003e]. Although we have entered the post-pandemic era, these impacts persist and urgently require our attention. Early identification of factors influencing depressive symptoms among college students and exploring the potential mechanisms of these factors on depressive symptoms are crucial for the effective prevention and treatment of depression.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003ePersonality psychology states that personality traits can distinguish stable differences between different individuals and predict behavioral tendencies. The Five-Factor Model of Personality, which includes conscientiousness, agreeableness, neuroticism, openness, and extraversion, is an important framework for describing individual personality traits [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR6\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e6\u003c/span\u003e]. People with different personality traits will show different personality tendencies. Studies have indicated that Extraversion, agreeableness, conscientiousness and openness of the Big Five were negatively correlated with depressive symptoms, while neuroticism was positively correlated with depressive symptoms [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR7\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e7\u003c/span\u003e, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR8\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e8\u003c/span\u003e]. Moreover, neuroticism is one of the most common and severe traits in depression [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR9\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e9\u003c/span\u003e]. Neuroticism is characterized by emotional reactivity, anxiety, and negative emotions [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR10\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e10\u003c/span\u003e], and is widely recognized as being associated with a high risk of depression [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR11\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e11\u003c/span\u003e, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR12\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e12\u003c/span\u003e]. Although there have been studies exploring the relationship between the big five personality traits and depression, there is still limited knowledge about these associations in the population of college students.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eSelf-efficacy refers to subjective judgment and confidence level in one\u0026rsquo;s ability to complete a task [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR13\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e13\u003c/span\u003e]. As an essential internal psychological resource of individuals, self-efficacy has a strong relationship with the big five personality [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR14\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e14\u003c/span\u003e]. Evidence suggests that the lower the level of neuroticism and the higher the levels of extraversion, openness, agreeableness, and conscientiousness, the higher the general self-efficacy [\u003cspan additionalcitationids=\"CR16\" citationid=\"CR15\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e15\u003c/span\u003e\u0026ndash;\u003cspan citationid=\"CR17\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e17\u003c/span\u003e]. Since Bandura introduced the concept of self-efficacy, research has shown that individuals with higher self-efficacy scores are less likely to exhibit depressive symptoms [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR18\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e18\u003c/span\u003e, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR19\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e19\u003c/span\u003e]. Furthermore, self-efficacy plays a crucial role in managing stress, promoting family health, and preventing depressive symptoms among college students [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR20\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e20\u003c/span\u003e, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR21\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e21\u003c/span\u003e]. Despite previous research confirming the association between self-efficacy and depressive symptoms, the role of personality traits in this relationship has not been validated. Therefore, it is particularly important to clarify the role of the big five personality traits in the relationship between self-efficacy and depressive symptoms among college students. Additionally, the mental and physical health issues of college students not only affect the individuals themselves but also impact the progress and development of society as a whole. Thus, it is necessary to conduct in-depth research on depressive symptoms and their influencing factors among college students.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThis study proposes hypothesis H1: self-efficacy can negatively predict depressive symptoms among college students. And, we put forward the hypothesis H2: The big five personality traits mediate the relationship between self-efficacy and depression. H2a: Extraversion mediates the relationship between self-efficacy and depression. H2b: Conscientiousness mediates the relationship between self-efficacy and depression. H2c: Agreeableness mediates the relationship between self-efficacy and depression. H2d: Openness mediates the relationship between self-efficacy and depression. H2e: Neuroticism mediates the relationship between self-efficacy and depression.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"2. Methods","content":"\u003cdiv id=\"Sec3\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003e2.1 Study design\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe data utilized in this study were derived from the Psychology and Behavior Investigation of Chinese Residents (PBICR) survey. 1,193 enrolled college students, aged 19\u0026ndash;25, were included in our study.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv id=\"Sec4\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003e2.2 Measures\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eBasic demographic characteristics were measured, including gender, residence, household debt, living alone, body mass index (BMI). Additionally, the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR22\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e22\u003c/span\u003e], the 10-item Big Five Inventory (BFI-10) [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR23\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e23\u003c/span\u003e], the New General Self-Efficacy Scale (NGSES) [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR24\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e24\u003c/span\u003e] were used to assess depressive symptoms, role of big five personality traits and self-efficacy, respectively. In this study, a PHQ-9 total score of \u0026ge;\u0026thinsp;10 was considered as potentially indicating clinical depressive symptoms [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR25\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e25\u003c/span\u003e, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR26\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e26\u003c/span\u003e].\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv id=\"Sec5\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003e2.3 Statistical analyses\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eTo present participants\u0026rsquo; demographic characteristics, means\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;standard deviations (SD) were provided for continuous variables, and one-way-ANOVA test was utilized for comparing differences among groups. While for categorical variables, numbers (percentages) were presented, and Pearson chi-squared test was utilized to analyze inter-group differences. The bivariate correlation analysis was performed to examine the correlations among the study variables, including self-efficacy, Big Five personality traits, and depressive symptoms.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eTo evaluate the relationship between self-efficacy and depression, hierarchical regression models were established. In the multicollinearity test, the variance inflation factor (VIF) [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR27\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e27\u003c/span\u003e] for each variable included in our analysis was determined, which was all below 2 \u003cb\u003e(Additional file 1: Table \u003cspan refid=\"MOESM1\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003eS1\u003c/span\u003e)\u003c/b\u003e, suggesting no evidence of significant multicollinearity. Subsequently, a random forest regression model was applied to analyze the impact of self-efficacy and Big Five personality traits on depressive symptoms, focusing on the variable importance, interactions. Following, the mediating model was analyzed using the PROCESS macro. The model 4 [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR28\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e28\u003c/span\u003e] was used to examine whether there is a mediating effect of the big five personality traits on the relationship between self-efficacy and depression. The bias-corrected 95% confidence intervals (CI) were calculated through 5000 bootstrap resamples. If the 95% confidence interval of the indirect effect does not contain 0, it indicates a significant mediating effect. Otherwise, there is no mediating effect, with α\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.05. Additionally, a fully adjusted multivariable restricted cubic spline (RCS) analysis (using 4 knots at the 5th, 35th, 65th, and 95th percentiles, respectively) was performed to assess the linearity and dose-response relationship between self-efficacy and depression. All statistical analyses were conducted using SPSS version 27.0 and R version 4.4.0.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e"},{"header":"3. Results","content":"\u003cp\u003e3.1\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;Sociodemographic characteristics and depressive symptoms\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn this study,\u0026nbsp;\u003cstrong\u003eTable 1\u003c/strong\u003e reports that a total of 1,193 participants were included, of whom 21.8% exhibited clinical depressive symptoms. Among the participants, 710 (59.51%) were female, 362 (30.34%) resided in urban areas, and 518 (43.42%) had household debt. And, 80 (6.71%) participants reported living alone. Notably, the differences of depressive symptoms were statistically significant (\u003cem\u003eP\u003c/em\u003e\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.05) in gender, living alone,openness, agreeableness, conscientiousness, extraversion, neuroticism, and self-efficacy, indicating that these factors have a significant impact on college students\u0026rsquo; depressive symptoms.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e3.2\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;Correlations of the studied variables\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eTable 2\u003c/strong\u003e shows the correlations among self-efficacy, the big five personality traits, and depression symptoms in college students. The results indicate that self-efficacy is negatively correlated with depression symptoms (r = -0.059, \u003cem\u003eP\u003c/em\u003e \u0026lt; 0.05). Self-efficacy is positively correlated with the big five personality traits of openness (r = 0.198, \u003cem\u003eP\u003c/em\u003e \u0026lt; 0.01), agreeableness (r = 0.165, \u003cem\u003eP\u003c/em\u003e \u0026lt; 0.01), conscientiousness (r = 0.290, \u003cem\u003eP\u003c/em\u003e \u0026lt; 0.01), extraversion (r = 0.198, \u003cem\u003eP\u0026nbsp;\u003c/em\u003e\u0026lt; 0.01), and neuroticism (r = 0.267, \u003cem\u003eP\u003c/em\u003e \u0026lt; 0.01). Additionally, openness (r = -0.085, \u003cem\u003eP\u003c/em\u003e \u0026lt; 0.01), agreeableness (r = -0.212, \u003cem\u003eP\u003c/em\u003e \u0026lt; 0.01), conscientiousness (r = -0.151, \u003cem\u003eP\u003c/em\u003e \u0026lt; 0.01), extraversion (r = -0.104, \u003cem\u003eP\u003c/em\u003e \u0026lt; 0.01), and neuroticism (r = -0.204, \u003cem\u003eP\u003c/em\u003e \u0026lt; 0.01) are all negatively correlated with depression symptoms.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e3.3\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;Hierarchical regression analysis of predictive variables on depressive symptoms\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eTable 3\u003c/strong\u003e presents the results of the hierarchical regression analysis. First, self-efficacy and gender were included in the model. Self-efficacy (b = -0.066, \u003cem\u003eP =\u003c/em\u003e 0.038) had a significant effect on depressive symptoms, with an adjusted R\u0026sup2; of 0.004. Next, residence, debt, living alone, and BMI were added to the model. Both self-efficacy (b = -0.063, \u003cem\u003eP =\u003c/em\u003e 0.049) and living alone (b = 2.766, \u003cem\u003eP =\u003c/em\u003e 0.001) significantly influenced depressive symptoms. At this stage, the adjusted R\u0026sup2; increased from 0.004 to 0.014. Finally, when the five dimensions of the Big Five personality traits were introduced into the model, the effect of self-efficacy on depressive symptoms remained statistically significant (\u003cem\u003eP =\u003c/em\u003e 0.035). Notably, the regression coefficient shifted from -0.063 to 0.070, suggesting that higher levels of self-efficacy might be associated with a greater likelihood of depressive symptoms in this context. Among the Big Five traits, neuroticism, conscientiousness, and agreeableness were significantly related to depressive symptoms. The adjusted R\u0026sup2; increased from 3.922 to 12.580. Specifically, conscientiousness (b = -0.581, \u003cem\u003eP\u0026nbsp;\u003c/em\u003e\u0026lt; 0.001) and agreeableness (b = -0.670, \u003cem\u003eP\u0026nbsp;\u003c/em\u003e\u0026lt; 0.001) were negative predictors of depressive symptoms, while neuroticism (b = 0.705, \u003cem\u003eP\u0026nbsp;\u003c/em\u003e\u0026lt; 0.001) was a positive predictor.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e3.4\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;Random forest regression analysis of predictive variables on depressive symptoms\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe results of the random forest regression model indicate that (\u003cstrong\u003eFig. 1\u003c/strong\u003e), in terms of variable importance, self-efficacy is the most significant predictor in the model, with a variable importance (VImp) value of 1.47. This underscores its substantial impact on predictions. Following are neuroticism, agreeableness, and conscientiousness, with VImp values of 1.23, 1.175, and 1.019, respectively.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eRegarding variable interactions, the interaction between self-efficacy and agreeableness is the most pronounced, with a variable interaction measure (VInt) value of 0.674. Next, the interaction between self-efficacy and conscientiousness reaches a value of 0.575. Other interactions, such as those between self-efficacy and neuroticism, extraversion, and openness, show values of 0.448, 0.404, and 0.33, respectively. These results highlight the importance of these variables and their interactions in predicting depression \u003cstrong\u003e(Additional file 1: Table S2)\u003c/strong\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e3.5\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;Mediation analysis of big five personality traits\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAdjusted mediation models controlling for variables\u0026nbsp;\u003cstrong\u003e(\u003c/strong\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFig. 2\u003c/strong\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e)\u003c/strong\u003e showed that self-efficacy was significantly associated with the five dimensions of the Big Five personality traits. Specifically, self-efficacy had a significant positive effect on openness (b = 0.053, P \u0026lt; 0.001), agreeableness (b = 0.042, P \u0026lt; 0.001), conscientiousness (b = 0.074, P \u0026lt; 0.001), and extraversion (b = 0.057, P \u0026lt; 0.001) and a significant negative effect on neuroticism (b = -0.292, P \u0026lt; 0.001).\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFurther mediation analysis\u0026nbsp;\u003cstrong\u003e(\u003c/strong\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFig. 3\u003c/strong\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e)\u003c/strong\u003e showed significant total and direct effects of self-efficacy on depressive symptoms, with effect sizes of [Effect = -0.064, 95% CI (-0.126, -0.001)] and [Effect = 0.071, 95% CI (0.005, 0.136)], respectively. Additionally, the mediation effect [Effect = -0.133, 95% CI (-0.171, -0.099)] was significant, representing 65.7% of the effect proportion. Notably, of the five mediation paths examined, only agreeableness [Effect = -0.028, 95% CI (-0.045, -0.014)], conscientiousness [Effect = -0.043, 95% CI (-0.067, -0.023)], and neuroticism [Effect = -0.048, 95% CI (-0.070, -0.029)] were significant, with effect proportions accounting for 13.8%, 2.12%, and 23.7%, respectively. These findings suggest that personality traits mediate the relationship between self-efficacy and depressive symptoms.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e3.6\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;Trend Analysis of self-Efficacy on depressive symptoms\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eDue to the differing trends between the direct effect of self-efficacy on depressive symptoms and its total and indirect effects observed in the mediation analysis, we further investigated the potential nonlinear relationship between self-efficacy and depressive symptoms using restricted cubic spline (RCS) curves.\u0026nbsp;\u003cstrong\u003eFig. 4\u003c/strong\u003e illustrates a significant nonlinear relationship between self-efficacy and depressive symptoms (\u003cem\u003eP\u003c/em\u003e for overall \u0026lt; 0.001, \u003cem\u003eP\u003c/em\u003e for nonlinearity \u0026lt; 0.001).\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"4. Discussion","content":"\u003cp\u003eIn this study, the prevalence of depressive symptoms among college students during the COVID-19 pandemic was 21.8%. This relatively high prevalence of depression is comparable to estimates from other related analyses, such as a recent study which found a 21.1% prevalence among Chinese college students [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR29\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e29\u003c/span\u003e]. Similarly, the prevalence of depressive symptoms was reported to be 29% among French students [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR30\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e30\u003c/span\u003e], 25.3% at Capital Medical College [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR31\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e31\u003c/span\u003e], and 24.3% among medical students, with 30.6% experiencing generalized anxiety disorder [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR32\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e32\u003c/span\u003e]. Regional differences and varying measurement methods may account for some of these discrepancies. Overall, the high incidence of depressive symptoms among college students during the COVID-19 pandemic warrants greater attention.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eDespite previous research indicating that self-efficacy impacts depressive states, the influence of personality traits on the relationship between self-efficacy and depression has not been thoroughly examined, particularly among college students. In our linear regression analyses (model 1 and model 2), results indicate a significant negative association between self-efficacy and depressive symptoms, supporting hypothesis H1 and aligning with prior research[\u003cspan citationid=\"CR33\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e33\u003c/span\u003e]. However, when the Big Five personality traits are included in the model3, the relationship between self-efficacy and depressive symptoms shifts. Specifically, self-efficacy emerges as a direct positive predictor of depressive symptoms. This finding diverges from previous studies where self-efficacy is typically regarded as a protective factor against depression. Such a shift may suggest a non-linear relationship between self-efficacy and depressive symptoms when accounting for the Big Five personality traits and other variables. For example, a study pointed out a non-linear, inverse-U shaped relationship between maternal self-efficacy and outcomes [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR34\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e34\u003c/span\u003e]. Additionally, prior research has shown that the role of self-efficacy is not uniformly beneficial, and that higher levels of self-efficacy can sometimes lead to increases in neuroendocrine and psychological stress responses and decreases in performance, a phenomenon that has been widely neglected [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR35\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e35\u003c/span\u003e]. Therefore, students with higher self-efficacy tend to set more ambitious goals, believing in their capacity to achieve them. However, when they encounter difficulties or fail to meet their expectations, they may experience greater stress and frustration, thereby increasing the likelihood of developing depressive symptoms. Therefore, further research is warranted to explore the specific mechanisms and influencing factors underlying this relationship.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eWhen the Big Five traits are introduced as mediators, agreeableness, conscientiousness, and extraversion exhibit a negative association with depressive symptoms. Notably, self-efficacy interacts separately with each of these three personality traits, indirectly contributing to a negative effect with depressive symptoms through their interaction. These findings support hypotheses H2b, H2c, and H2e and are consistent with previous research. [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR36\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e36\u003c/span\u003e]. College students with a high sense of conscientiousness tend to have strong self-efficacy, are more likely to maintain a positive attitude and emotions, and are more able to effectively cope with various challenges and pressures in life, thus reducing the risk of depression [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR37\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e37\u003c/span\u003e]. Individuals with high agreeableness and conscientiousness are empathetic and cooperative, resulting in pleasant and harmonious relationships with others [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR38\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e38\u003c/span\u003e] An online study of 635 Finnish college students revealed that students with high agreeableness tend to have lower tendencies of rumination, self-reported stress, depressive symptoms, and anxiety [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR39\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e39\u003c/span\u003e]. A cross-sectional study in South Korea also indicated that low agreeableness is associated with depression in young people [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR40\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e40\u003c/span\u003e]. Moreover, research has found that agreeableness and conscientiousness were closely associated with the amygdala and ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC) in the brain [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR41\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e41\u003c/span\u003e]. The amygdala is responsible for processing emotional reactions, while the vmPFC is involved in emotion regulation and social cognition [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR42\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e42\u003c/span\u003e]. Highly agreeable individuals show greater activity in these areas, allowing them to better manage and regulate emotions, thereby enhancing self-efficacy and reducing the risk of depression [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR43\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e43\u003c/span\u003e]. In one study, individuals with high agreeableness and conscientiousness were able to activate the vmPFC more quickly during social conflicts, facilitating emotional regulation and reducing the impact of negative emotions. On the other hand, individuals with high neuroticism are more likely to experience negative emotions and emotional fluctuations, which lead to a heightened perception of and reaction to negative emotions, thereby reducing self-efficacy [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR44\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e44\u003c/span\u003e]. The combination of low self-efficacy and frequent negative emotional experiences significantly increases the risk of depression.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eIn our study, hypotheses H2a and H2d were not supported, indicating that openness and extraversion do not have a mediating effect. Previous research frequently found no significant correlation between openness and depression [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR45\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e45\u003c/span\u003e]. Openness is divided into six narrower facets: fantasy, aesthetics, feelings, actions, ideas, and values [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR46\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e46\u003c/span\u003e]. However, the relationships between these six dimensions and depression are not consistent, with only the aesthetic aspect positively correlated with depression, while the other five aspects are not significant [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR47\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e47\u003c/span\u003e]. This may explain the lack of a clear link between openness and depression. Openness is associated with creativity and an open mindset, involving the brain's default mode network (DMN), which is related to self-reflection and creative thinking [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR48\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e48\u003c/span\u003e]. Despite openness having a significant impact on cognition and creativity, it may not play a notable mediating role in the relationship between self-efficacy and depression. This could be because openness influences cognitive flexibility more than it directly affects emotional and psychological health. Extraversion is associated with positive emotions and social abilities, involving the brain's reward system, particularly the mesolimbic system [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR49\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e49\u003c/span\u003e]. Highly extraverted individuals generally feel more pleasure in social situations [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR50\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e50\u003c/span\u003e]. However, in the relationship between self-efficacy and depression, extraversion does not have a significant mediating effect. This may be because extraversion influences social behavior more than it directly impacts self-efficacy and emotional states.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThese research findings indicate that interventions focusing on both individual personality traits and self-efficacy may be the most effective in alleviating depressive symptoms among college students. The current focus of stress and health research needs to shift from managing health risks to fostering individual strengths and resilience. For individuals with high neuroticism scores, maladaptive cognitive patterns can be addressed and coping self-efficacy can be trained to change their coping strategies. For example, cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) and resilience training have been shown to effectively enhance adaptive coping mechanisms, perceived social support, and alleviate psychological distress [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR51\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e51\u003c/span\u003e]. Moreover, acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), and mindfulness meditation have also shown positive effects in alleviating depressive symptoms [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR52\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e52\u003c/span\u003e, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR53\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e53\u003c/span\u003e]. Therefore, administrators at college mental health counseling centers, student activity centers, and related departments should implement such training programs to help students better cope with stress and maintain psychological well-being.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003cb\u003eLimitations\u003c/b\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eFirstly, this is a cross-sectional study. While it suits our research hypothesis, it does not allow us to draw causal conclusions. In future research, we can use experimental control designs to compare depressed and non-depressed populations, exploring the impact of media on depression to strengthen causal explanations. Secondly, this study relies on self-reported data, which is a limitation as it increases the risk of social desirability bias. Incorporating qualitative research methods, such as in-depth interviews, can further explore the relationships between self-efficacy, personality, and depression, thereby enhancing the credibility of the results.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"Conclusions","content":"\u003cp\u003eThis study is the first to employ a mediation model to investigate the relationships among self-efficacy, the Big Five personality traits, and depression among Chinese college students during the COVID-19 pandemic. The findings reveal that self-efficacy significantly influences all five personality traits. Additionally, individuals exhibiting high levels of neuroticism, along with low levels of agreeableness and conscientiousness, are more susceptible to experiencing depression. It is particularly important for college students to comprehend how self-efficacy affects various personality traits, as this understanding enhances their capacity to effectively navigate mental health challenges.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"Declarations","content":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eEthics approval and consent to participate\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis study was approved by the Ethics Committees of the Shaanxi Provincial Research Center for Health Culture (Approval No. JKWH-2021-01) and Jinan University (Approval No. JNUKY-2021-018). Clinical trial number: not applicable. All participants provided informed consent after being informed of the experimental requirements. The research was conducted in accordance with the guidelines outlined in the Declaration of Helsinki.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAuthor Contribution declaration\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eY. Y. conceived and designed the research questions, performed data analysis and interpretation of the survey results, wrote the first draft of the paper, and revised the manuscript. Finalized the manuscript. Z. Z. conceived and designed the research questions, provided scientific opinions, and contributed to manuscript revision. S. M. provided scientific opinions, revised the manuscript, and finalized the manuscript. L. Z. provided scientific opinions and contributed to manuscript revision. Z. M. provided scientific opinions and contributed to manuscript revision. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAvailability of data and materials\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe datasets analyzed during the current study are available in the Psychology and Behavior Investigation of Chinese Residents (PBICR) repository, https://www.x-mol.com/groups/pbicr.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eConsent to Publish declaration\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe authors declare that they have no competing interests.\u0026nbsp;All authors read and approved the final manuscript.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFunding\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNational Natural Science Foundation of China (32200095). Young Elite Scientists\u003cstrong\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/strong\u003eSponsorship Program by CAST (2022QNRC001).\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAcknowledgements\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWe would like to thank Psychology and Behavior Investigation of Chinese Residents coordinating centers for developing the data collection infrastructure for this project. The authors also wish to express their gratitude to the study participants and the worksite organizers.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eConflict of Interest and Financial Disclosure:\u003c/strong\u003e The authors declare no conflicts of interest or financial disclosures.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"References","content":"\u003col\u003e\u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eVu QT, Harada K, Nishimura Y, Hagiya H, Tan E, Lehasa OME, et al. Burden of depressive disorders in Vietnam from 1990 to 2019: A secondary analysis of the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019. 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Social exclusion and depression among undergraduate students: the mediating roles of rejection sensitivity and social self-efficacy. Curr Psychol. 2023;42:24198\u0026ndash;207.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eHolland ML, Yoo B-K, Kitzman H, Chaudron L, Szilagyi PG, Temkin-Greener H. Self-Efficacy as a Mediator Between Maternal Depression and Child Hospitalizations in Low-Income Urban Families. Matern Child Health J. 2011;15:1011\u0026ndash;9.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eSch\u0026ouml;nfeld P, Preusser F, Margraf J. Costs and benefits of self-efficacy: Differences of the stress response and clinical implications. Neurosci Biobehavioral Reviews. 2017;75:40\u0026ndash;52.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eGiota KG, Kleftaras G. The role of personality and depression in problematic use of social networking sites in Greece. 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JMIR mental health. 2019;6:e10039.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eOh M, Kim J-W, Yoon N-H, Lee SA, Lee SM, Kang WS. Differences in personality, defense styles, and coping strategies in individuals with depressive disorder according to age groups across the lifespan. Psychiatry Invest. 2019;16:911.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eLi Z, Petersen IT, Wang L, Radua J, Yang G, Liu X. The Lifespan Trajectories of Brain Activities Related to Cognitive Control. bioRxiv. 2023.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eArbula S, Pisanu E, Rumiati RI. Representation of social content in dorsomedial prefrontal cortex underlies individual differences in agreeableness trait. NeuroImage. 2021;235:118049.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eUrry HL, Van Reekum CM, Johnstone T, Kalin NH, Thurow ME, Schaefer HS, et al. Amygdala and ventromedial prefrontal cortex are inversely coupled during regulation of negative affect and predict the diurnal pattern of cortisol secretion among older adults. J Neurosci. 2006;26:4415\u0026ndash;25.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eSchmitt N. The interaction of neuroticism and gender and its impact on self-efficacy and performance. Hum Perform. 2007;21:49\u0026ndash;61.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eHayward RD, Taylor WD, Smoski MJ, Steffens DC, Payne ME. Association of five-factor model personality domains and facets with presence, onset, and treatment outcomes of major depression in older adults. Am J Geriatric Psychiatry. 2013;21:88\u0026ndash;96.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eKhoo S, Simms LJ. Links between depression and openness and its facets. Personality mental health. 2018;12:203\u0026ndash;15.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eWolfestein M, Trull TJ. Depression and openness to experience. J Pers Assess. 1997;69:614\u0026ndash;32.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eAbu Raya M, Ogunyemi AO, Rojas Carstensen V, Broder J, Illanes-Manrique M, Rankin KP. The reciprocal relationship between openness and creativity: from neurobiology to multicultural environments. Front Neurol. 2023;14:1235348.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eWacker J, Smillie LD. Trait extraversion and dopamine function. Soc Pers Psychol Compass. 2015;9:225\u0026ndash;38.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eHutcherson CA, Goldin PR, Ramel W, McRae K, Gross JJ. Attention and emotion influence the relationship between extraversion and neural response. Soc Cognit Affect Neurosci. 2008;3:71\u0026ndash;9.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eMaddi SR, Kahn S, Maddi KL. The effectiveness of hardiness training. Consulting Psychol Journal: Pract Res. 1998;50:78.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eHayes SC, Strosahl KD, Wilson KG. Acceptance and commitment therapy: An experiential approach to behavior change. New York, NY, US: Guilford Press; 1999.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eEdenfield TM, Saeed SA. An update on mindfulness meditation as a self-help treatment for anxiety and depression. Psychol Res Behav Manage. 2012;:131\u0026ndash;41.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\u003c/ol\u003e"},{"header":"Tables","content":"\u003ctable border=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"0\" width=\"591\"\u003e\n \u003ctbody\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"6\" style=\"width: 591px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eTable\u0026nbsp;\u003c/strong\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e1\u003c/strong\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/strong\u003eThe demographic characteristics and the distribution of depressive symptoms.\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"2\" rowspan=\"2\" style=\"width: 123px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eCharacteristics\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 124px;\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"2\" style=\"width: 270px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eDepression status\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd rowspan=\"2\" style=\"width: 73px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003ep-value\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 124px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eTotal\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 149px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eNo\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 121px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eYes\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"2\" style=\"width: 123px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003en(%)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 124px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e1193\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 149px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e933(78.2)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 121px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e260(21.8)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 73px;\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"2\" style=\"width: 123px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eGender\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 124px;\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 149px;\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 121px;\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 73px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.035\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 15px;\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 107px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eMale\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 124px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e483 (40.49)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 149px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e363 (75.16)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 121px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e120 (24.84)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 73px;\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 15px;\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 107px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eFemale\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 124px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e710 (59.51)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 149px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e570 (80.28)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 121px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e140 (19.72)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 73px;\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"2\" style=\"width: 123px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eResidence\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 124px;\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 149px;\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 121px;\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 73px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.278\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 15px;\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 107px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eCity\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 124px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e831 (69.66)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 149px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e657 (79.06)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 121px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e174 (20.94)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 73px;\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 15px;\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 107px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eCountry\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 124px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e362 (30.34)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 149px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e276 (76.24)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 121px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e86 (23.76)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 73px;\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"2\" style=\"width: 123px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eHousehold debt\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 124px;\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 149px;\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 121px;\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 73px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.208\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 15px;\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 107px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eNo\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 124px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e675 (56.58)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 149px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e519 (76.89)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 121px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e156 (23.11)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 73px;\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 15px;\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 107px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eYes\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 124px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e518 (43.42)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 149px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e414 (79.92)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 121px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e104 (20.08)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 73px;\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"2\" style=\"width: 123px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eLiving alone\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"bottom\" style=\"width: 124px;\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 149px;\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 121px;\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 73px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026lt;0.001\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 15px;\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 107px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eNo\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 124px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e1113 (93.29)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 149px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e414 (79.92)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 121px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e104 (20.08)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 73px;\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 15px;\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 107px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eYes\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 124px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e80 (6.71)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 149px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e47 (58.75)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 121px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e33 (41.25)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 73px;\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"2\" style=\"width: 123px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eBMI\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 124px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e20.93 \u0026plusmn; 3.00\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 149px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e886 (79.60)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 121px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e227 (20.40)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 73px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.919\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"2\" style=\"width: 123px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eOpenness\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 124px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e6.96 \u0026plusmn; 1.48\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 149px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e47 (58.75)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 121px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e33 (41.25)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 73px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.004\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"2\" style=\"width: 123px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eAgreeableness\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 124px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e6.92 \u0026plusmn; 1.36\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 149px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e7.04 \u0026plusmn; 1.33\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 121px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e6.48 \u0026plusmn; 1.38\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 73px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026lt;0.001\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"2\" style=\"width: 123px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eConscientiousness\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 124px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e6.17 \u0026plusmn; 1.38\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 149px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e6.26 \u0026plusmn; 1.39\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 121px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e5.83 \u0026plusmn; 1.28\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 73px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026lt;0.001\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"2\" style=\"width: 123px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eExtraversion\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 124px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e6.32 \u0026plusmn; 1.64\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 149px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e6.36 \u0026plusmn; 1.64\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 121px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e6.17 \u0026plusmn; 1.65\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 73px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.085\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"2\" style=\"width: 123px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eNeuroticism\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 124px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e6.04 \u0026plusmn; 1.42\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 149px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e6.14 \u0026plusmn; 1.42\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 121px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e5.68 \u0026plusmn; 1.35\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 73px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026lt;0.001\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"2\" style=\"width: 123px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eSelf-efficacy\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 124px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e28.73 \u0026plusmn; 5.46\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 149px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e28.94 \u0026plusmn; 5.22\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 121px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e27.99 \u0026plusmn; 6.20\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 73px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.024\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"6\" style=\"width: 591px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eNote: Variables are presented as mean \u0026plusmn; SD or n (%). Abbreviations: \u0026nbsp;BMI, body mass index.\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003c/tbody\u003e\n\u003c/table\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ctable border=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"0\" width=\"499\"\u003e\n \u003ctbody\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"7\" valign=\"bottom\" style=\"width: 499px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eTable\u0026nbsp;\u003c/strong\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e2\u003c/strong\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e.\u003c/strong\u003e Correlations of the studied variables.\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"bottom\" style=\"width: 126px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eVariable\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"bottom\" style=\"width: 81px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"bottom\" style=\"width: 43px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e2\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"bottom\" style=\"width: 62px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e3\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"bottom\" style=\"width: 62px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e4\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"bottom\" style=\"width: 62px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e5\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"bottom\" style=\"width: 62px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e6\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"bottom\" style=\"width: 126px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eDepression\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"bottom\" style=\"width: 81px;\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"bottom\" style=\"width: 43px;\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"bottom\" style=\"width: 62px;\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"bottom\" style=\"width: 62px;\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"bottom\" style=\"width: 62px;\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"bottom\" style=\"width: 62px;\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"bottom\" style=\"width: 126px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eSelf-efficacy\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"bottom\" style=\"width: 81px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e-0.059*\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"bottom\" style=\"width: 43px;\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"bottom\" style=\"width: 62px;\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"bottom\" style=\"width: 62px;\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"bottom\" style=\"width: 62px;\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"bottom\" style=\"width: 62px;\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"bottom\" style=\"width: 126px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eOpenness\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"bottom\" style=\"width: 81px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e-0.085**\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"bottom\" style=\"width: 43px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.198**\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"bottom\" style=\"width: 62px;\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"bottom\" style=\"width: 62px;\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"bottom\" style=\"width: 62px;\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"bottom\" style=\"width: 62px;\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"bottom\" style=\"width: 126px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eAgreeableness\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"bottom\" style=\"width: 81px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e-0.212**\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"bottom\" style=\"width: 43px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.165**\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"bottom\" style=\"width: 62px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.185**\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"bottom\" style=\"width: 62px;\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"bottom\" style=\"width: 62px;\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"bottom\" style=\"width: 62px;\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"bottom\" style=\"width: 126px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eConscientiousness\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"bottom\" style=\"width: 81px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e-0.151**\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"bottom\" style=\"width: 43px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.290**\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"bottom\" style=\"width: 62px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.125**\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"bottom\" style=\"width: 62px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.104**\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"bottom\" style=\"width: 62px;\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"bottom\" style=\"width: 62px;\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"bottom\" style=\"width: 126px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eExtraversion\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"bottom\" style=\"width: 81px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e-0.104**\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"bottom\" style=\"width: 43px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.198**\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"bottom\" style=\"width: 62px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.201**\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"bottom\" style=\"width: 62px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.045\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"bottom\" style=\"width: 62px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.195**\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"bottom\" style=\"width: 62px;\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"bottom\" style=\"width: 126px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eNeuroticism\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"bottom\" style=\"width: 81px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e-0.204**\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"bottom\" style=\"width: 43px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.267**\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"bottom\" style=\"width: 62px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.109**\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"bottom\" style=\"width: 62px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.224**\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"bottom\" style=\"width: 62px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.110**\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"bottom\" style=\"width: 62px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.201**\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"2\" valign=\"bottom\" style=\"width: 208px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eNote: *p\u0026lt;0.05, **p\u0026lt;0.01.\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"bottom\" style=\"width: 43px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"bottom\" style=\"width: 62px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"bottom\" style=\"width: 62px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"bottom\" style=\"width: 62px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"bottom\" style=\"width: 62px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003c/tbody\u003e\n\u003c/table\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ctable border=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"0\" width=\"638\"\u003e\n \u003ctbody\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"10\" valign=\"bottom\" style=\"width: 638px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eTable\u0026nbsp;\u003c/strong\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e3\u003c/strong\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/strong\u003eHierarchical regression analysis of depressive symptoms.\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 141px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eForecast variable\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"3\" style=\"width: 158px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eModel1\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"3\" style=\"width: 169px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eModel2\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"3\" style=\"width: 170px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eModel3\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 141px;\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 55px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eB\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 55px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003et\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 48px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eP\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 55px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u0026beta;\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 55px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003et\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 60px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eP\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 55px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u0026beta;\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 55px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003et\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 60px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eP\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 141px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eSelf-efficacy\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 55px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e-0.066\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 55px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e-2.075\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 48px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.038\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 55px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e-0.063\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"bottom\" style=\"width: 55px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e-1.972\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 60px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.049\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 55px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.071\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"bottom\" style=\"width: 55px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e2.115\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 60px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.035\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 141px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eGender\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 55px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e-0.526\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 55px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e-1.485\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 48px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.138\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 55px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e-0.416\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"bottom\" style=\"width: 55px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e-1.141\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 60px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.254\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 55px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e-0.573\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"bottom\" style=\"width: 55px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e-1.617\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 60px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.106\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 141px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eResidence\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 55px;\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 55px;\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 48px;\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 55px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.331\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"bottom\" style=\"width: 55px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.873\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 60px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.383\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 55px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.212\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"bottom\" style=\"width: 55px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.576\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 60px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.565\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 141px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eHousehold debt\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 55px;\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 55px;\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 48px;\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 55px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e-0.117\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"bottom\" style=\"width: 55px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e-0.335\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 60px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.738\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 55px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e-0.161\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"bottom\" style=\"width: 55px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e-0.479\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 60px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.632\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 141px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eLiving alone\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 55px;\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"bottom\" style=\"width: 55px;\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"bottom\" style=\"width: 48px;\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 55px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e2.766\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"bottom\" style=\"width: 55px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e3.977\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 60px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026lt;0.001\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 55px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e2.641\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"bottom\" style=\"width: 55px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e3.942\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 60px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026lt;0.001\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 141px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eBMI\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 55px;\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 55px;\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 48px;\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 55px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e-0.011\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"bottom\" style=\"width: 55px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e-0.185\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 60px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.853\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 55px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e-0.028\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"bottom\" style=\"width: 55px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e-0.489\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 60px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.625\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 141px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eOpenness\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 55px;\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 55px;\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 48px;\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 55px;\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 55px;\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 60px;\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 55px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e-0.081\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"bottom\" style=\"width: 55px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e-0.684\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 60px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.494\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 141px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eAgreeableness\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 55px;\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 55px;\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 48px;\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 55px;\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"bottom\" style=\"width: 55px;\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 60px;\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 55px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e-0.670\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"bottom\" style=\"width: 55px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e-5.19\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 60px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026lt;0.001\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"2\" style=\"width: 196px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eConscientiousness\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 55px;\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 48px;\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 55px;\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 55px;\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 60px;\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 55px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e-0.581\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"bottom\" style=\"width: 55px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e-4.531\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 60px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026lt;0.001\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 141px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eExtraversion\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 55px;\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 55px;\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 48px;\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 55px;\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 55px;\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 60px;\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 55px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e-0.175\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"bottom\" style=\"width: 55px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e-1.628\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 60px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.104\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 141px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eNeuroticism\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 55px;\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"bottom\" style=\"width: 55px;\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"bottom\" style=\"width: 48px;\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"bottom\" style=\"width: 55px;\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 55px;\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 60px;\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 55px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.705\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"bottom\" style=\"width: 55px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e5.583\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 60px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026lt;0.001\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 141px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eF\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"3\" style=\"width: 158px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e3.178\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"3\" style=\"width: 169px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e3.922\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"3\" style=\"width: 170px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e12.580\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 141px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eAdjusted R\u0026sup2;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"3\" style=\"width: 158px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.004\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"3\" style=\"width: 169px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.014\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"3\" style=\"width: 170px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.097\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003c/tbody\u003e\n\u003c/table\u003e"}],"fulltextSource":"","fullText":"","funders":[],"hasAdminPriorityOnWorkflow":false,"hasManuscriptDocX":true,"hasOptedInToPreprint":true,"hasPassedJournalQc":"","hasAnyPriority":false,"hideJournal":true,"highlight":"","institution":"","isAcceptedByJournal":false,"isAuthorSuppliedPdf":false,"isDeskRejected":"","isHiddenFromSearch":false,"isInQc":false,"isInWorkflow":false,"isPdf":false,"isPdfUpToDate":true,"isWithdrawnOrRetracted":false,"journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"researchsquare","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"externalIdentity":"","sideBox":"","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"/submission","title":"Research Square","twitterHandle":"researchsquare","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":false,"editorialSystem":"","reportingPortfolio":"","inReviewEnabled":false,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true},"keywords":"depressive symptoms, self-efficacy, big five personality traits, college students","lastPublishedDoi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-5466779/v1","lastPublishedDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-5466779/v1","license":{"name":"CC BY 4.0","url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"},"manuscriptAbstract":"\u003ch2\u003eBackground\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eCollege students are at increased risk of depression. While previous studies have highlighted the link between self-efficacy and mental health, especially concerning depressive symptoms, the potential mediating role of the Big Five personality traits in this relationship remains underexplored. This study aims to examine the relationships among self-efficacy, the Big Five personality traits, and depressive symptoms through a mediation model.\u003c/p\u003e\u003ch2\u003eMethods\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eThis cross-sectional study utilized a multi-stage stratified random sampling method to survey residents across 23 provinces in China, ultimately enrolling 1,193 college students aged 19\u0026ndash;25. Measures included the PHQ-9 to assess depressive symptoms, the BFI-10 to evaluate personality traits, and the NGSES for self-efficacy. Hierarchical regression, random forest regression, mediation analyses, and restricted cubic spline (RCS) models were conducted using R software.\u003c/p\u003e\u003ch2\u003eResults\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe prevalence of depressive symptoms among college students was 21.8%. Neuroticism (\u003cem\u003eP\u003c/em\u003e\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.001) was a positive predictor of depressive symptoms, while agreeableness (\u003cem\u003eP\u003c/em\u003e\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.001) and conscientiousness (\u003cem\u003eP\u003c/em\u003e\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.001) were negative predictors. And, agreeableness [Effect = -0.028, 95% CI (-0.045, -0.014)], conscientiousness [Effect = -0.043, 95% CI (-0.067, -0.023)], and neuroticism [Effect = -0.048, 95% CI (-0.070, -0.029)] significantly mediated the relationship between self-efficacy and depressive symptoms. Additionally, A potential nonlinear relationship (\u003cem\u003eP\u003c/em\u003e for nonlinearity\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.001) was identified between self-efficacy and depressive symptoms.\u003c/p\u003e\u003ch2\u003eConclusions\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eSelf-efficacy and personality traits, particularly high neuroticism and low agreeableness and conscientiousness, are significant factors influencing depressive symptoms among college students. Interventions that target these traits and cultivate self-efficacy may be beneficial for enhancing mental health among adolescents during this critical developmental period.\u003c/p\u003e","manuscriptTitle":"The Mediating Role of the Big Five Personality Traits in the Relationship between Self-Efficacy and Depressive Symptoms among College Students","msid":"","msnumber":"","nonDraftVersions":[{"code":1,"date":"2024-12-03 08:59:53","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-5466779/v1","editorialEvents":[{"type":"communityComments","content":0}],"status":"published","journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"researchsquare","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"externalIdentity":"","sideBox":"","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"/submission","title":"Research Square","twitterHandle":"researchsquare","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":false,"editorialSystem":"","reportingPortfolio":"","inReviewEnabled":false,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true}}],"origin":"","ownerIdentity":"62d79637-968d-486b-96c4-9708bd3559e4","owner":[],"postedDate":"December 3rd, 2024","published":true,"recentEditorialEvents":[],"rejectedJournal":[],"revision":"","amendment":"","status":"posted","subjectAreas":[],"tags":[],"updatedAt":"2024-12-04T09:39:10+00:00","versionOfRecord":[],"versionCreatedAt":"2024-12-03 08:59:53","video":"","vorDoi":"","vorDoiUrl":"","workflowStages":[]},"version":"v1","identity":"rs-5466779","journalConfig":"researchsquare"},"__N_SSP":true},"page":"/article/[identity]/[[...version]]","query":{"redirect":"/article/rs-5466779","identity":"rs-5466779","version":["v1"]},"buildId":"qtupq5eGEP_6zYnWcrvyt","isFallback":false,"isExperimentalCompile":false,"dynamicIds":[84888],"gssp":true,"scriptLoader":[]}