Relationship between hope and depression in college students: A cross-lagged regression analysis.

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to examine the relationship between depression and two dimensions of hope (pathways thinking and agency thinking) in college students and explore the dynamics of the causal relationship between these variables.

METHODS: A longitudinal study was conducted and included 381 college students. Hope and depression were measured using Snyder's State Hope Scale and the Center for Epidemiological Survey Depression Scale respectively, four times within a year (at 4-month intervals), and cross-lagged regression analysis was performed.

RESULTS: The bidirectional paths between pathways thinking and depression were highly significant. The paths from agency thinking to depression were non-significant, but the paths from depression to agency thinking were significant.

CONCLUSION: There was a significant bidirectional relationship between pathways thinking and depression. In addition, depression levels predicted levels of agency thinking, but levels of agency thinking did not predict depression levels. Therefore, interventions for depression should include strategies that assist individuals in the use of pathways thinking to establish specific routes via which to achieve their goals. Copyright © 2018 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.