ACADEMIC STRESS AND DEPRESSION AMONG COLLEGE STUDENTS: THE MEDIATING EFFECT OF PARENTAL ATTACHMENT

Background. The current study aimed to understand the mediating role of parental attachment in the relationship between academic stress and depression. Academic stress and parental attachment have both been studied for their strong correlation with depression and also as a predictor of depression. This study focused on the path mechanism that exists between academic stress and depression and whether parental attachment can be a protective factor that shields an individual from mental health deterioration due to academic stress. The author hypothesized that parental attachment has a significant mediating role to play in the relationship existing between academic stress and depression. Material and methods. A sample of 120 college students (60 males, 60 females) was collected from colleges over Northern India. Academic Stress scale, Parental Attachment Scale and Beck Depression Inventory were used to measure the variables. Results. The results of the study indicated that parental attachment plays role of a partial and significant mediator between academic stress and depression. Conclusions. The findings imply the importance of parental attachment for an individual during young adulthood. They also suggest to the practitioners, policy makers, health care specialists that the significance of parent-child relationship needs to be understood and exploited to alleviate the effect of mental health issues among the college students.