Impulsivity and social support as intervening and interactive variables in the link between childhood socioeconomic status and mental health among first-year college students
BackgroundSignificant attention has been given to the mental health of college students, especially first-year college students, with childhood socioeconomic status (SES) identified as a key factor. This study investigated the correlation of impulsivity and social support in the relationship between...
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2025-04-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Psychiatry |
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| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyt.2025.1569001/full |
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| author | Yiting Kong Yiting Kong Zhewei Su Zhewei Su Rui Wang Rui Wang Jianyu Tan Jianyu Tan Pan Ran Pan Ran Xiaoming Xu Xiaoming Xu Wo Wang Wo Wang Su Hong Su Hong Qi Zhang Qi Zhang Li Kuang Li Kuang |
| author_facet | Yiting Kong Yiting Kong Zhewei Su Zhewei Su Rui Wang Rui Wang Jianyu Tan Jianyu Tan Pan Ran Pan Ran Xiaoming Xu Xiaoming Xu Wo Wang Wo Wang Su Hong Su Hong Qi Zhang Qi Zhang Li Kuang Li Kuang |
| author_sort | Yiting Kong |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | BackgroundSignificant attention has been given to the mental health of college students, especially first-year college students, with childhood socioeconomic status (SES) identified as a key factor. This study investigated the correlation of impulsivity and social support in the relationship between childhood SES and current mental health, with a focus on depressive and anxiety symptoms, in first-year college students.MethodsA cross-sectional study was designed, surveying 6,378 first-year students (mean age = 20.98) at a university in Chongqing, China. The survey participants were 63.4% female and 36.6% male. The participants completed an online questionnaire which included Patient Health Questionnaire-9, Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7, Brief Barratt Impulsiveness Scale, Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support, and a 7-point scale to measure childhood SES. Descriptive statistics and correlation analyses were conducted for these variables, and the data examined further using a moderated conditional effect model with PROCESS macro (Model 8).ResultsThe analysis revealed that lower childhood SES showed small to moderate negative correlations with impulsivity (r = -0.224, p < 0.01, small effect) and heightened symptoms of depression (β = -0.235, p < 0.01) and anxiety (β = -0.197, p < 0.01). Impulsivity shared variance with the link between childhood SES and both depressive (β = 0.386, SE = 0.011, p < 0.001) and anxiety symptoms (β = 0.315, SE = 0.012, p < 0.001). Higher levels of social support were linked to attenuated associations between low childhood SES and both impulsivity (β = -0.064, SE = 0.011, p < 0.01) and depressive symptoms (β = -0.029, SE = 0.010, p < 0.01). However, social support was not significantly associated with the link between childhood SES and anxiety symptoms.ConclusionOur findings demonstrate that impulsivity serves as a partial intervening variable in the relationship between childhood SES and the mental health of first-year college students. However, higher levels of social support were linked to weaker negative associations between impulsivity and both childhood SES and mental health. Interventions that focus on managing impulsivity and increasing social support for first-year college students from low socioeconomic backgrounds could be effective strategies for improving their mental health. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-bab8aabc635b4d508a26d1669615e174 |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 1664-0640 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-04-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
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| series | Frontiers in Psychiatry |
| spelling | doaj-art-bab8aabc635b4d508a26d1669615e1742025-08-20T02:17:29ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Psychiatry1664-06402025-04-011610.3389/fpsyt.2025.15690011569001Impulsivity and social support as intervening and interactive variables in the link between childhood socioeconomic status and mental health among first-year college studentsYiting Kong0Yiting Kong1Zhewei Su2Zhewei Su3Rui Wang4Rui Wang5Jianyu Tan6Jianyu Tan7Pan Ran8Pan Ran9Xiaoming Xu10Xiaoming Xu11Wo Wang12Wo Wang13Su Hong14Su Hong15Qi Zhang16Qi Zhang17Li Kuang18Li Kuang19Department of Psychiatry, The First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, ChinaPsychiatric Center, The First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, ChinaDepartment of Psychiatry, The First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, ChinaPsychiatric Center, The First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, ChinaDepartment of Psychiatry, The First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, ChinaPsychiatric Center, The First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, ChinaDepartment of Psychiatry, The First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, ChinaPsychiatric Center, The First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, ChinaDepartment of Psychiatry, The First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, ChinaPsychiatric Center, The First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, ChinaDepartment of Psychiatry, The First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, ChinaPsychiatric Center, The First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, ChinaPsychiatric Center, The First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, ChinaMental Health Center, University-Town Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, ChinaDepartment of Psychiatry, The First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, ChinaPsychiatric Center, The First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, ChinaDepartment of Psychiatry, The First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, ChinaPsychiatric Center, The First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, ChinaPsychiatric Center, The First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, ChinaMental Health Center, University-Town Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, ChinaBackgroundSignificant attention has been given to the mental health of college students, especially first-year college students, with childhood socioeconomic status (SES) identified as a key factor. This study investigated the correlation of impulsivity and social support in the relationship between childhood SES and current mental health, with a focus on depressive and anxiety symptoms, in first-year college students.MethodsA cross-sectional study was designed, surveying 6,378 first-year students (mean age = 20.98) at a university in Chongqing, China. The survey participants were 63.4% female and 36.6% male. The participants completed an online questionnaire which included Patient Health Questionnaire-9, Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7, Brief Barratt Impulsiveness Scale, Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support, and a 7-point scale to measure childhood SES. Descriptive statistics and correlation analyses were conducted for these variables, and the data examined further using a moderated conditional effect model with PROCESS macro (Model 8).ResultsThe analysis revealed that lower childhood SES showed small to moderate negative correlations with impulsivity (r = -0.224, p < 0.01, small effect) and heightened symptoms of depression (β = -0.235, p < 0.01) and anxiety (β = -0.197, p < 0.01). Impulsivity shared variance with the link between childhood SES and both depressive (β = 0.386, SE = 0.011, p < 0.001) and anxiety symptoms (β = 0.315, SE = 0.012, p < 0.001). Higher levels of social support were linked to attenuated associations between low childhood SES and both impulsivity (β = -0.064, SE = 0.011, p < 0.01) and depressive symptoms (β = -0.029, SE = 0.010, p < 0.01). However, social support was not significantly associated with the link between childhood SES and anxiety symptoms.ConclusionOur findings demonstrate that impulsivity serves as a partial intervening variable in the relationship between childhood SES and the mental health of first-year college students. However, higher levels of social support were linked to weaker negative associations between impulsivity and both childhood SES and mental health. Interventions that focus on managing impulsivity and increasing social support for first-year college students from low socioeconomic backgrounds could be effective strategies for improving their mental health.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyt.2025.1569001/fullchildhood socioeconomic statusmental healthimpulsivitysocial supportfirst-year college students |
| spellingShingle | Yiting Kong Yiting Kong Zhewei Su Zhewei Su Rui Wang Rui Wang Jianyu Tan Jianyu Tan Pan Ran Pan Ran Xiaoming Xu Xiaoming Xu Wo Wang Wo Wang Su Hong Su Hong Qi Zhang Qi Zhang Li Kuang Li Kuang Impulsivity and social support as intervening and interactive variables in the link between childhood socioeconomic status and mental health among first-year college students Frontiers in Psychiatry childhood socioeconomic status mental health impulsivity social support first-year college students |
| title | Impulsivity and social support as intervening and interactive variables in the link between childhood socioeconomic status and mental health among first-year college students |
| title_full | Impulsivity and social support as intervening and interactive variables in the link between childhood socioeconomic status and mental health among first-year college students |
| title_fullStr | Impulsivity and social support as intervening and interactive variables in the link between childhood socioeconomic status and mental health among first-year college students |
| title_full_unstemmed | Impulsivity and social support as intervening and interactive variables in the link between childhood socioeconomic status and mental health among first-year college students |
| title_short | Impulsivity and social support as intervening and interactive variables in the link between childhood socioeconomic status and mental health among first-year college students |
| title_sort | impulsivity and social support as intervening and interactive variables in the link between childhood socioeconomic status and mental health among first year college students |
| topic | childhood socioeconomic status mental health impulsivity social support first-year college students |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyt.2025.1569001/full |
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