Influence of neuroticism on depression among college students by gender: the mediating roles of negative cognitive bias and anhedonia

Previous studies show that neuroticism has a significant impact on depression in college students. However, the mechanisms linking neuroticism and depression remain unclear. This study investigates whether neuroticism influences depression through the mediation of negative cognitive bias and anhedonia and whether there are gender differences in this mechanism. A total of 1085 Chinese college students were surveyed using the Self-rating Depression Scale, the neuroticism scale of the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire the Negative Cognitive Bias Questionnaire, and the Snaith-Hamilton Pleasure Scale. The data were analyzed using structural equation modeling and a multigroup comparison by gender. The results showed that neuroticism positively predicted the level of depression in college students. Negative cognitive bias and anhedonia played a chain-mediating role in the relationship between neuroticism and depression. Furthermore, there were gender differences in the mechanisms of neuroticism influenced depression. The direct effect of neuroticism on the level of depression was stronger in males, whereas negative cognitive bias mediated the relationship between neuroticism and depression only in females. These findings extend our insight into the mechanisms underlying the association between neuroticism and depression in college students and suggest focusing on gender-specific predictors of depression in college students to develop gender-specific interventions to reduce depression.