Undergraduate class standing, perceived social support, and depressive symptoms

Abstract

Objective

Investigate the association between perceived social support and depressive symptoms at different stages of academic progress.

Participants

Undergraduate students (n = 505) enrolled at a large southeastern university.

Methods

Students completed a cross-sectional survey about their self-reported physical and mental health. Logistic regression was used to assess the relationship between depressive symptoms, perceived social support, and academic class standing.

Results

Academic class standing and perceived social support were both significantly associated with depressive symptoms. Compared to freshman, odds of having depressive symptoms were 2.15 times higher for sophomores and 3.94 times higher for seniors. For every one unit increase in perceived social support, the odds of depressive symptoms decreased by 51%.

Conclusions

A significant association between depressive symptoms and social support was identified for all undergraduates in this sample. The differences identified between social support and depressive symptoms reveal the need to tailor support provided at different academic stages.

Keywords:

• Mental health
• social support
• depression
• university
• undergraduate students

Conflict of interest disclosure

The authors have no conflicts of interest to report. The authors confirm that the research presented in this article met the ethical guidelines, including adherence to the legal requirements, of the United States and received approval from the University of Alabama.

Additional information

Funding

This study was supported by the Endowed Academic Chair Research Fund from the University of Alabama School of Social Work awarded to Dr. Hee Yun Lee, [email protected].