Researchers used the structural equation modeling method to examine any potential connections between family-induced stress, academics, and depression in undergraduate and graduate students. The results conveyed a very clear connection between the various factors, as students reported that academic and family-induced stress resulted in very clear depressive symptoms.

Claremont McKenna College

College students are one of the top age groups at risk for depression due to factors such as academics, social life, and family. 

Depression in College Students

1. Salk, R. H., Hyde, J. S., & Abramson, L. Y. (2017). Gender differences in depression in representative national samples: Meta-analyses of diagnoses and symptoms. Psychological Bulletin, 143(8), 783–822. https://doi.org/10.1037/bul0000102

4. Tsoutsi, V., Papadakaki, M., Yannis, G., Pavlou, D., Basta, M., Chliaoutakis, J., & Dikeos, D. (2023). Driving behaviour in depression based on subjective evaluation and data from a driving simulator. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 20(8), 5609. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20085609

5. Rubenstein, L. M., Hamilton, J. L., Stange, J. P., Flynn, M., Abramson, L. Y., & Alloy, L. B. (2015). The cyclical nature of depressed mood and future risk: Depression, rumination, and deficits in emotional clarity in adolescent girls. Journal of Adolescence, 42(1), 68–76. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.adolescence.2015.03.015

10. Choi, Y., Lee, M., Lee, J. P., Park, M., Lee, S. Y., & Hahm, H. C. (2020). Disempowering parenting and Mental Health Among Asian American Youth: Immigration and Ethnicity. Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology, 66, 101077. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.appdev.2019.101077

11. Liu, X.-Q., Guo, Y.-X., Zhang, W.-J., & Gao, W.-J. (2022). Influencing factors, prediction and prevention of depression in college students: A literature review. World Journal of Psychiatry, 12(7), 860–873. https://doi.org/10.5498/wjp.v12.i7.860

12. Conner, K. R., Pinquart, M., & Gamble, S. A. (2009). Meta-analysis of depression and substance use among individuals with alcohol use disorders. Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment, 37(2), 127–137. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsat.2008.11.007

13. Rogers, D. L., Tanaka, M. J., Cosgarea, A. J., Ginsburg, R. D., & Dreher, G. M. (2023). How mental health affects injury risk and outcomes in athletes. Sports Health: A Multidisciplinary Approach, 16(2), 222–229. https://doi.org/10.1177/19417381231179678

14. Steinert, C., Hofmann, M., Kruse, J., & Leichsenring, F. (2014). Relapse rates after psychotherapy for depression – stable long-term effects? A meta-analysis. Journal of Affective Disorders, 168, 107–118. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2014.06.043

15. Melrose, S. (2011). Perfectionism and depression: Vulnerabilities nurses need to understand. Nursing Research and Practice, 2011, 1–7. https://doi.org/10.1155/2011/858497

16. Smalley, K. B., Warren, J. C., & Barefoot, K. N. (2016). Connection between depression and inability to fill prescriptions in rural FQHC patients with chronic disease. Journal of Rural Mental Health, 40(2), 113–123. https://doi.org/10.1037/rmh0000051

17. Raza, A., Partonen, T., Hanson, L. M., Asp, M., Engström, E., Westerlund, H., & Halonen, J. I. (2024). Daylight during winters and symptoms of depression and sleep problems: A within-individual analysis. Environment International, 183, 108413. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envint.2023.108413

18. Lin, L. yi, Sidani, J. E., Shensa, A., Radovic, A., Miller, E., Colditz, J. B., Hoffman, B. L., Giles, L. M., & Primack, B. A. (2016). Association between social media use and depression among U.S. young adults. Depression and Anxiety, 33(4), 323–331. https://doi.org/10.1002/da.22466

19. Zare, H., Meyerson, N. S., Nwankwo, C. A., & Thorpe, R. J. (2022). How income and income inequality drive depressive symptoms in U.S. adults, does sex matter: 2005–2016. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19(10), 6227. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19106227

20. Campbell, P. D., Miller, A. M., & Woesner, M. E. (2017). Bright Light Therapy: Seasonal Affective Disorder and Beyond. The Einstein journal of biology and medicine : EJBM, 32, E13–E25.

21. Jiang, Z., Egan, S. J., Greene, D., Frost, M., Ma, Y., & Shafran, R. (2025). The impact of perfectionism on treatment outcomes of mental health disorders: a systematic review of randomised controlled trials. Cognitive Behaviour Therapy, 1–21. https://doi.org/10.1080/16506073.2025.2547199

22. Komischke-Konnerup, K. B., Zachariae, R., Johannsen, M., Nielsen, L. D., & O’Connor, M. (2021). Co-occurrence of prolonged grief symptoms and symptoms of depression, anxiety, and posttraumatic stress in bereaved adults: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Journal of Affective Disorders Reports, 4, 100140. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jadr.2021.100140

23. Auersperg, F., Vlasak, T., Ponocny, I., & Barth, A. (2019). Long-term effects of parental divorce on Mental Health – a meta-analysis. Journal of Psychiatric Research, 119, 107–115. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpsychires.2019.09.011 

27. Abdulhamed, R., Lonka, K., Hietajärvi, L., Ikonen, R., & Klemetti, R. (2022). Anxiety and depression symptoms and their association with discrimination and a lack of social support among first- and second-generation immigrant adolescents. International Journal of Intercultural Relations, 87, 193–205. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijintrel.2022.03.001 

29. Chugani, C. D., Goldstein, T. R., Salk, R. H., Poling, K., Sakolsky, D., & Brent, D. (2020). Group Intervention for Young Adults With Mood and Anxiety Disorders Transitioning to College. Journal of psychiatric practice, 26(2), 120–125. https://doi.org/10.1097/PRA.0000000000000456

30. Yttredahl, A. A., McRobert, E., Sheler, B., Mickey, B. J., Love, T. M., Langenecker, S. A., Zubieta, J. K., & Hsu, D. T. (2018). Abnormal emotional and neural responses to romantic rejection and acceptance in depressed women. Journal of affective disorders, 234, 231–238. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2018.02.083

31. Mandal, B., Ayyagari, P., & Gallo, W. T. (2011). Job loss and depression: the role of subjective expectations. Social science & medicine (1982), 72(4), 576–583. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2010.11.014

34. Deng, Y., Cherian, J., Khan, N. U. N., Kumari, K., Sial, M. S., Comite, U., Gavurova, B., & Popp, J. (2022). Family and Academic Stress and Their Impact on Students' Depression Level and Academic Performance. Frontiers in psychiatry, 13, 869337. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2022.869337

35. Lok, R., & Zeitzer, J. M. (2025). Chronotype and Mental Health: Are Late Sleepers More Vulnerable?. Current psychiatry reports, 27(10), 544–552. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11920-025-01626-4

36. Franzen, P. L., & Buysse, D. J. (2008). Sleep disturbances and depression: risk relationships for subsequent depression and therapeutic implications. Dialogues in clinical neuroscience, 10(4), 473–481. https://doi.org/10.31887/DCNS.2008.10.4/plfranzen

37. Hou, X., & Hu, J. (2023). Depression and bedtime procrastination: Chain mediation of brooding and perceived stress. Heliyon, 9(12), e22672. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e22672

38. Kizilbash, A. (2002). The effects of depression and anxiety on memory performance. Archives of Clinical Neuropsychology, 17(1), 57–67. https://doi.org/10.1016/s0887-6177(00)00101-3 

39. Kim, S., Jang, Y. S., & Park, E. C. (2025). Associations between social isolation, withdrawal, and depressive symptoms in young adults: a cross-sectional study. BMC psychiatry, 25(1), 327. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12888-025-06792-6

40. Murthy, R. S., & Lakshminarayana, R. (2006). Mental health consequences of war: a brief review of research findings. World psychiatry : official journal of the World Psychiatric Association (WPA), 5(1), 25–30.

41. Carpiniello B. (2023). The Mental Health Costs of Armed Conflicts-A Review of Systematic Reviews Conducted on Refugees, Asylum-Seekers and People Living in War Zones. International journal of environmental research and public health, 20(4), 2840. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20042840

42. Feitosa, C. D. A., & Fernandes, M. A. (2020). Leave of absence due to depression. Revista latino-americana de enfermagem, 28, e3274. https://doi.org/10.1590/1518-8345.3634.3274

43. Alshammaa, H. I., Al-Taie, R. H., & Mujbel, A. M. (2024). Impact of Long-Term Depression on Employment Outcomes: A Systematic Review and Case Series From Iraq on Career Trajectory and Job Stability. Cureus, 16(10), e70755. https://doi.org/10.7759/cureus.70755

44. Dupéré, V., Dion, E., Nault-Brière, F., Archambault, I., Leventhal, T., & Lesage, A. (2018). Revisiting the Link Between Depression Symptoms and High School Dropout: Timing of Exposure Matters. The Journal of adolescent health : official publication of the Society for Adolescent Medicine, 62(2), 205–211. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jadohealth.2017.09.024

45. Ye, Z., Wu, D., He, X., Ma, Q., Peng, J., Mao, G., Feng, L., & Tong, Y. (2023). Meta-analysis of the relationship between bullying and depressive symptoms in children and adolescents. BMC psychiatry, 23(1), 215. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12888-023-04681-4

46. Klein, D. N., Kotov, R., & Bufferd, S. J. (2011). Personality and depression: explanatory models and review of the evidence. Annual review of clinical psychology, 7, 269–295. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-clinpsy-032210-104540

47. Breier, A., Charney, D. S., & Heninger, G. R. (1984). Major depression in patients with agoraphobia and panic disorder. Archives of general psychiatry, 41(12), 1129–1135. https://doi.org/10.1001/archpsyc.1984.01790230015002

48. Doolittle, B. R., & Farrell, M. (2004). The Association Between Spirituality and Depression in an Urban Clinic. Primary care companion to the Journal of clinical psychiatry, 6(3), 114–118. https://doi.org/10.4088/pcc.v06n0302

49. Moore MJ, Shawler E, Jordan CH, et al. Veteran and Military Mental Health Issues. [Updated 2023 Aug 17]. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2026 Jan-. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK572092/

50. Targum, S. D., & Fava, M. (2011). Fatigue as a residual symptom of depression. Innovations in clinical neuroscience, 8(10), 40–43.

51. Ramadhan, R. N., Rampengan, D. D., Yumnanisha, D. A., Setiono, S. B., Tjandra, K. C., Ariyanto, M. V., Idrisov, B., & Empitu, M. A. (2024). Impacts of digital social media detox for mental health: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Narra J, 4(2), e786. https://doi.org/10.52225/narra.v4i2.786

References for Depression

Studies have found that greater emotional support from one's family, college mental health services, a healthier lifestyle, and resilience therapy can be used to reduce stress levels, and thus reduce the risk of depression in college students.

Learn Before

Related