Resilience intervention effects on depression, anxiety, and alcohol use in predominantly Hispanic college students

Mental health symptoms and alcohol use are common among college students, especially those identifying as Hispanic. Resilience and adaptive coping may buffer these risks, yet few resilience interventions have been tested in this population. This study evaluated a resilience program for predominantly Hispanic students with at-risk drinking and elevated depression and anxiety.

Eighty-eight students completed a four-module resilience program and were assessed at baseline, one week, and one month. Measures included alcohol use, depression, anxiety, resilience, and coping. Repeated-measures analyses tested changes over time, and mediation models examined resilience and coping.

Depression and anxiety decreased significantly at one month (PHQ-9: 10.15→7.69, p = .006, η² = .09; GAD-7: 8.72→6.42, p = .01, η² = .09). Alcohol use outcomes showed no significant change and small effect sizes (η² = .00-.02). Exploratory analyses suggested indirect effects of resilience on depression and anxiety, though coping pathways were inconsistent.

Participants showed reductions in mental health symptoms over time, while alcohol outcomes remained stable. These findings are consistent with potential benefits of resilience-based approaches for psychological outcomes. Future research should evaluate these effects using randomized designs and examine whether integrating alcohol-specific content improves drinking-related outcomes.