The Association Between Being an Only Child and Depressive Symptoms Among Chinese College Students

Abstract

This study investigated the current status of depressive symptoms among Chinese college students and analyzed the association between being an only child and depressive symptoms. A cross-sectional survey was conducted with 771 college students from five universities in Jilin Province. Depressive symptoms were assessed using the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale (CES-D). The results indicated that 28.4% of college students exhibited depressive symptoms. Only children reported significantly higher depressive symptom scores
compared to non-only children, and female students had higher scores than their male counterparts. These findings highlight the importance of targeted mental health interventions for only children.