Effect of search for meaning and perspective change on depression in college students:A mediated moderation model / 中国心理卫生杂志

ABSTRACT

Objective:To investigate the effect of search for meaning on depression and the moderating role of perspective change in college students. Methods:The participants were 1 16 college students. The hypotheses were tested by analyzing data collected at 3 time points. Search for meaning and the presence of meaning in life were measured with the Meaning in Life Questionnaire,the dimension of perspective change in Meaning-Focused Coping Questionnaire was used to assess the ability to change perspective,and depression was assessed with the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale (CES-D). Results:The scores of perspective change was positively corre-lated with scores of meaning in life (r=0. 29 ,P<0. 0 1 ),and negatively correlated with CES-D scores (r=-0. 34,P<0. 001). The scores of perspective change moderated the relationship between scores of search for mean-ing and scores of presence of meaning in life (β=0. 22,P<0. 01 ),and this interaction effected CES-D scores through the mediation of scores of presence of meaning in life. That is,for the individuals with lower perspectivechange score (blow one standard),the score of search for meaning was negatively associated with the presence of meaning in life,with in turn increased CES-D scores,95%CI0. 07 -033;among the individuals with higher per-spective change scores (above one standard),there was no mediation effect. Conclusion:The results suggest that perspective change could moderate the relationship between search for meaning and meaning in life,which in turn buffers depression. The findings imply the potential positive role of perspective change in the process of searching for meaning in life among university students.