Mediating Effects of Psychological Independence and Social Support on the Association Between Family Strength and Depression in Young Korean Adults: Cross-Sectional Study

Abstract

Background: Although family strength is potentially associated with a reduced risk of depression, little is known about the underlying pathways and mediating factors.

Objective: This study aimed to investigate the mediating effects of psychological independence and social support on the relationship between family strength and depression in young adults.

Methods: A cross-sectional web-based survey was conducted among 1,000 young Korean adults aged 19 to 24 years. We used a web-based survey agency to recruit participants using an independent panel and quota sampling, with stratification based on gender and age. The participants completed self-reported questionnaires that assessed family strength, psychological independence, social support, and depression. To examine the mediating effects of psychological independence and social support on the relationship between family strength and depression, we performed path analysis with AMOS 26 software (IBM Corp) using maximum standard likelihood estimation.

Results: The path analysis revealed that gender (female) had a direct positive effect on depression (β=.09, P=.004) and an indirect negative effect on depression through social support (β=-.03, P=.001). Although there were no significant direct effects of living status (with parents) on depression, it had a significant and positive indirect effect through psychological independence (β=.03, P=.001). Family strength had a significant and negative direct effect on depression (β=-0.19, P=.001) and significant indirect and negative effects through psychological independence and social support (β=-0.17, P=.001). Therefore, the overall effect of family strength on depression was significantly negative (β=-0.37, P=.001). Psychological independence influenced depression both directly (β=-0.16, P=.001) and indirectly through social support (β=-0.12, P=.001), and social support influenced depression directly (β=-0.21, P=.001). The overall model explained 23% of the total variance in depression.

Conclusions: The findings highlight that gender, living with parents, family strength, psychological independence, and social support in reduce depression among young adults. Additionally, the mediating effects of psychological independence and social support on the relationship between family strength and depression were significant in this population. Therefore, strategies to increase psychological independence and social support could reduce the risk of depression in young adults who have low family strength.

Keywords: depression; family strength; psychological independence; social support; young adults.

Figure 1.. Hypothetical study model: mediating effects of psychological independence and social support on the relationship between family strength and depression among young Koreans adults aged 19‐24 years. Arrows indicate the hypothesized causal relationships between variables.

Figure 2.. Final path diagram for depression in young adults: The direct and indirect effects of family strengths, social support, psychological independence, and demographic factors (gender and living status) on depression. Path coefficients are presented as standardized beta values with significant levels (*P<.05, **P<.01, *** P<.001).