Associations among subthreshold depression, cognitive bias, and mentalization in university students

The purpose of this study is to investigate the epidemiological status of subthreshold depression among undergraduate students in Shanghai and to explore the correlations among subthreshold depression, cognitive bias, and mentalization.

The present study employed a stratified random sampling approach, segmented by academic year, with investigators entering classes to conduct online questionnaire surveys. A total of 3,330 participants were included in the final analysis from October to December 2023.

The average score for subthreshold depression among the 3,330 undergraduates assessed was 81.52, with 41.5% meeting the criteria for subthreshold depression. Regression analysis suggested that hypermentalizing was negatively associated with subthreshold depression (OR = 0.86, 95% CI: 0.84-0.88, P < 0.001), while hypomentalizing was positively associated with subthreshold depression (OR = 1.08, 95% CI: 1.04-1.11, P < 0.001). Higher level of cognitive bias was independently associated with higher odds (OR = 1.04, 95% CI: 1.03-1.05, P < 0.001). Associations were broadly consistent across subgroups. The inverse association of hypermentalizing with subthreshold depression varied by self-assessment of health status after BH-FDR correction.

There are significant correlations among subthreshold depression, cognitive bias, and mentalization in university students.