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. 2022 Jul 19;12(7):860–873. doi: 10.5498/wjp.v12.i7.860

Table 1.

Factors related to depression in college students

Category
Specific variable
Factor positively correlated with high levels of depression
Biological factors Sex Inconclusive
Nationality Ethnic minorities[18], international student[14,19]
Family Low family socioeconomic status[14,18,26,27]
Non-only child[19], too many siblings[6]
Parents divorced or having mental problems[29,30], family dysfunction[11]
Adverse childhood experiences such as injury, physical violence, psychological abuse and lack of family care[30,31]
Insufficient social support especially family support[11,14,36,39]
Personality and psychological state Neuroticism[20]
Presence of psychological illness[21,22]
High level of psychological stress (including value, aspiration, deprivation, or coping)[23]
Low self-efficacy[14,24]
Solitude[25]
College experience Year of study Inconclusive
Academic performance Poor academic performance[21,30]
Financial support Lack of financial resources and support[21]
Living arrangement Do not have own room[6,26]
College satisfaction Low satisfaction with teachers and low satisfaction with college major[26], low satisfaction with university facilities[22]
Lifestyle Physical exercise Lack of physical exercise[11,14,20]
Substance abuse Smoking and drinking[6,12,21] (especially alcohol intake[32,33])
Sleep Daytime drowsiness[20,34], poor sleep quality[21], sleep too short[35] or too long[10]
Diet Unhealthy food intake[30], gluttony[14], skipping breakfast[10], malnutrition[36]
Network usage Social networking sites, online game addiction[37,38]