How social support impacts depression in Chinese emerging adults: mediators of cognitive reappraisal and loneliness.

Background: Emerging adulthood marks a crucial maturation from teenage years to independent adulthood, which makes them more susceptible to depression. Prior studies have indicated that social support negatively impacts depression among emerging adults. However, little research has explored the mediating mechanisms. Methods: This research investigated the potential effectiveness of social support in mitigating depression through emotion regulation strategies and loneliness as mediators in 998 college students (M = 19.18, SD = 1.99). Data analyses were conducted using SPSS version 23.0 and PROCESS version 3.3. Both correlational and mediation analyses were performed to examine the study's hypotheses. Results: Correlational analyses revealed that PSS was negatively associated with both loneliness and depression, and positively associated with cognitive reappraisal. Mediation analysis indicated that the direct effect of PSS on depression became non-significant ( Conclusion: The findings suggest that perceived social support reduces depressive symptoms primarily by facilitating the use of cognitive reappraisal and alleviating loneliness. These results underscore the critical role of social support systems in mental health and highlight the importance of fostering adaptive emotion regulation strategies. Such initiatives are promising for buffering loneliness, mitigating depressive risk, and promoting the psychological well-being of emerging adults.