Abstract
Depression poses a significant mental health risk among university freshmen. This study leverages Latent Profile Analysis (LPA) to assess depression prevalence and its relation to academic performance among 3,006 Chinese university freshmen. LPA identified three distinct subgroups: Non-Depressed (42.68%), Mildly Depressed (48.64%), and Moderately Depressed (8.68%). These subgroups demonstrated significant variations across the four dimensions of depression: psychotic affective symptoms, somatic disorders, psychomotor disorders, and depressive psychological disorders. Multinomial logistic regression indicated that gender and academic performance exhibited a significant correlation with subgroup membership likelihood, whereas family economic status and students’ origin did not. Specifically, females and students with low grades were more likely to belong to the Moderately Depressed group compared to males and students with high grades. These findings underscore the heterogeneity of depressive experiences among Chinese freshmen, drawing attention to the heightened susceptibility in females and students facing academic difficulties. The use of LPA in identifying three distinct depression subgroups paves the way for the development of tailored mental health interventions on campus, emphasizing the importance of addressing each subgroup’s unique needs. Therefore, it is needed for universities to increase their awareness of potential gender disparities in depression rates, as well as their awareness of the correlation between suboptimal academic outcomes and emotional distress. By implementing early identification strategies and providing specialized support, universities can more effectively manage depressive symptoms among these at-risk subgroups.
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The datasets generated during and/or analyzed during the current study are available from the corresponding author by email (djqzafu@126.com).
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This research was supported by the Zhejiang Province Philosophy and Social Science Planning “Ideological and Political Work in Colleges and Universities Project”, China (No. 22GXSZ044YB), and the Higher Education Research Fund of Zhejiang A&F University, China (No. ZDB202002 and ZDB202011).
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Dong, J., Li, Y., Chen, J. et al. The relationship between depression heterogeneity and academic performance in Chinese university freshmen: a latent profile analysis. Curr Psychol (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-024-05795-y
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-024-05795-y