ArticleBMC psychology2025
The dynamic association between depression, psychological flexibility, and meaning in life among medical students: a cross-lagged analysis.
Article in BMC psychology, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.
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Who cites it
2 citing papers in PubMed.
- Pathways to meaning: how family functioning shapes meaning in life through school belonging among Chinese adolescents.Frontiers in psychology · 2026Article
- Psychometric validation and predictive efficacy of a comprehensive depression risk model for undergraduates.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2026Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
9 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundMedical students face significant challenges with depression, where psychological flexibility and meaning in life serve as protective factors that can mitigate the worsening of depressive symptoms. This study employs a two-wave panel design to explore the dynamic relationships among psychological flexibility, meaning in life, and depression in medical students.
methodsThe study utilized panel data from two time points, tracking 1,837 medical students over a 12-week interval. Measurement tools included a demographic information form, the Acceptance and Commitment Therapy Comprehensive Assessment Questionnaire, the Meaning in Life Questionnaire, and the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale. Descriptive analysis, correlation analysis, and cross-lagged analysis were conducted on the variables.
resultsA relationship was found between higher levels of psychological flexibility and lower levels of depression. Autoregressive models indicated that all three variables showed significant stability over time. Cross-lagged analysis found that higher psychological flexibility at Time 1 was associated with lower depression at Time 2, but meaning in life was not associated with subsequent depression. In contrast, higher depression at Time 1 was associated with lower subsequent psychological flexibility and meaning in life. Additionally, gender did not have a significant association with these variables.
conclusionThis study underscores the unique advantages of universities in the mental health education of medical students. It recommends enhancing psychological flexibility and meaning in life through mindfulness training, emotional regulation courses, and professional values education to effectively prevent the onset of depression. CLINICAL TRIAL NUMBER: Not applicable.
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