ArticleFrontiers in psychology2020
Associations Between Social Capital and Depressive Symptoms Among College Students in 12 Countries: Results of a Cross-National Study.
Article in Frontiers in psychology, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 20 papers, 3 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
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Who cites it
20 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 55 citations in OpenAlex.
- Instruments used to measure well-being, ill-being, and health-related lifestyle behaviors in students attending Italian universities: a systematic review.Frontiers in public health · 2026Pooled it
- Mental Health of University Students in Southeastern Asia: A Systematic Review.Asia-Pacific journal of public health · 2022Pooled it
- Effectiveness of digital mental health interventions for university students: an umbrella review.PeerJ · 2022Pooled it
- Mental health and burnout among Swiss medical students living in contexts of deprivation: a longitudinal study.BMJ open · 2026Article
- What Youth Write About and Seek in an Anonymized Online Peer Support Forum: Insights from India.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2026Article
- Health Inequalities in German Higher Education: A Cross-Sectional Study Reveals Poorer Health in First-Generation University Students and University Students with Lower Subjective Social Status.European journal of investigation in health, psychology and education · 2026Article
- Social capital and educational justice as predictors of civic engagement in higher education: the mediating roles of institutional trust and student empowerment.Frontiers in sociology · 2026Article
- Technology for Mental Health: Reflections on Scope and Future Directions in Institutes of Higher Education in India.Online journal of public health informatics · 2025Article
- Effectiveness of a Self-Guided Digital Intervention for Mental Health and Psychological Well-Being in University Students: Pre- and Postintervention Study.Journal of medical Internet research · 2025Article
- Effects of Social Capital on Depression in University Students.European journal of investigation in health, psychology and education · 2025Article
- Social capital and major depressive disorder among youth in Iran.BMC psychiatry · 2025Article
- Symptoms of Anxiety and Depression in Italian Nursing Students: Prevalence and Predictors.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2024Article
- Association between social capital, mental health, and digital health literacy among the university students in China: a multigroup analysis based on major difference.BMC public health · 2024Article
- Adaptation and Validation of the Academic Stress Scale in the Italian Context: Latent Structure, Reliability, and Concurrent Validity.European journal of investigation in health, psychology and education · 2024Article
- Functions of music, focused on the context of music listening, and psychological well-being in late adolescence regarding gender differences.Frontiers in psychology · 2023Article
- Health-related behaviors and symptoms of anxiety and depression in Spanish nursing students: an observational study.Frontiers in public health · 2023Observational
- Influence of deep learning-based journal reading guidance system on students' national cognition and cultural acceptance.Frontiers in psychology · 2022Article
- Social Capital and Lifestyle Impacts on Mental Health in University Students in Colombia: An Observational Study.Frontiers in public health · 2022Observational
- Association between Mental Health Knowledge Level and Depressive Symptoms among Chinese College Students.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2021Article
- 'When They Struggle, I Cannot Sleep Well Either': Perceptions and Interactions Surrounding University Student and Teacher Well-Being.Frontiers in psychology · 2020Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
15 authors at 13 institutions in 10 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
introductionA mental health crisis has hit university campuses across the world. This study sought to determine the prevalence and social determinants of depressive symptoms among university students in twelve countries. Particular focus was placed on the association between social capital and depressive symptoms.
methodsA cross-sectional study was conducted among students at their first year at university in Europe, Asia, the Western Pacific, and Latin and North America. Data were obtained through a self-administered questionnaire, including questions on sociodemographic characteristics, depressive symptoms, and social capital. The simplified Beck's Depression Inventory was used to measure the severity of depressive symptoms. Social capital was assessed using items drawn from the World Bank Integrated Questionnaire to Measure Social Capital. Multilevel analyses were conducted to determine the relationship between social capital and depressive symptoms, adjusting for individual covariates (e.g., perceived stress) and country-level characteristics (e.g., economic development).
resultsAmong 4228 students, 48% presented clinically relevant depressive symptoms. Lower levels of cognitive (OR: 1.82, 95% CI: 1.44-2.29) and behavioral social capital (OR: 1.51, 95% CI: 1.29-1.76) were significantly associated with depressive symptoms. The likelihood of having depressive symptoms was also significantly higher among those living in regions with lower levels of social capital.
conclusionThe study demonstrates that lower levels of individual and macro-level social capital contribute to clinically relevant depressive symptoms among university students. Increasing social capital may mitigate depressive symptoms in college students.
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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.