The influence of gratitude on depressive symptoms among Chinese college students during the COVID‐19 pandemic: The moderating effect of psychological capital

Abstract

The coronavirus disease 2019 outbreak has the potential to trigger declines in individual mental health, potentially in the form of depressive symptoms. However, few studies have explored factors protective of mental health during the ongoing pandemic. For the sustainable development of individual health, this study was conducted during the pandemic and examines the relationship between gratitude and symptoms of depression, as well as the moderating effect of psychological capital. Latent variable structural equation modeling was used to analyze depressive symptoms and protective factors in 3123 college students. This study measures gratitude, depressive symptoms, and psychological capital, using the Gratitude Scale, Patient Health Questionnaire‐9, and the Positive Psychological Capital Questionnaire, respectively. Gratitude was negatively related to depressive symptoms, with psychological capital as a moderator of the relationship. Specifically, psychological capital had a powerful protective effect against depressive symptoms. Students with high psychological capital had lower depressive symptoms than those with low psychological capital, regardless of their level of gratitude. In students with low psychological capital, gratitude had a protective effect against depressive symptoms. These findings suggest that psychological capital is a powerful protective factor against depressive symptoms during a pandemic and improving psychological capital could enhance mental health.

An investigative study of anxiety, depression and sleep quality in college students after the COVID-19 pandemic - the moderating effect of physical activity

“…The correlations between exercise frequency and college students' anxiety, depression, and sleep quality were -0.798, -0.885, and -0.891, respectively, with p<0.001, indicating that the frequency of exercise showed a significant negative correlation with anxiety, depression, and sleep quality, which is consistent with many studies (Yang et al, 2023). From the viewpoint of psychological factors, the reason why exercise frequency can affect anxiety, depression and sleep quality of college students, there exist the mediating variables of external exercise motivation (Takagaki & Yokoyama, 2023) and subjective exercise experience (Zdravkovic & Goldstein, 2023), and external exercise motivation is significantly and positively correlated with exercise frequency, and higher exercise frequency can build up the external motivation (Lee et al, 2023), which can reduce the depressed mood (Luo et al, 2023). Regular participation in sports activities can sharpen college students' emotions and will, so that bad moods can also be alleviated (Zhao et al, 2023).…”

The impact of school climate on academic burnout of Chinese students: the mediating effect of psychological capital

“…The reason for the differences may be the current emphasis on mental health education. In recent years, the primary and secondary schools in China have increased their investment in mental health education (Zhang, 2021), constantly carried out activities to improve mental health literacy, and helped junior high school students improve their mental health (Luo et al, 2023). Secondly, the development of the social economy has brought abundant living conditions, and parents attach Tang 10.…”

“…The mediating effect of psychological capital provided new perspectives on reducing junior high school students' academic burnout. To enhance students' perception of the school climate, schools need to establish clear and fair rules and regulations to constrain every internal member (Luo et al, 2023). Only when members feel fair, equal, and reliable can they have a high evaluation of the environment they are in, but it is not advisable to adopt strong administrative measures (Lu, 2016).…”