Depressive symptoms and Learning Motivation among Chinese freshmen: a longitudinal study using random intercept cross-lagged panel model and the subgroup analysis of parental educational background.

Objectives: This study aimed to explore the bidirectional association between depressive symptoms and learning motivation (LM) among Chinese college freshmen, distinguish between interindividual and intraindividual effects, and analyze the moderating role of parental educational background. Methods: A prospective longitudinal study was conducted among freshmen from a university in Jingzhou City, Hubei Province, China, with three waves of surveys over two years (2023-2025) and follow-ups conducted annually. Data from a total of 4,669 freshmen were finally included in the analysis (mean age = 19.32 years, SD = 2.96; 53.8% female). Depressive symptoms were assessed using the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9), and LM was measured via the LM Subscale of the Mental Health Scale for College Students (MHS-CS). The Random Intercept Cross-Lagged Panel Model (RI-CLPM) was employed to analyze the temporal association between depressive symptoms and LM, and separate models were constructed for the full sample, samples from low-educational background families, samples from intermediate-education background families, and samples from high-educational background families. Results: At the interindividual level, all groups showed a strong negative correlation between depressive symptoms and LM (full sample: r=-0.70, p<0.001; low-education families: r=-0.66, p<0.001; intermediate-education families: r=-0.72, p<0.001; high-education families: r=-0.85, p<0.001). At the intraindividual level, depressive symptoms were significantly negatively correlated with LM across all waves in all groups (r=-0.30~-0.46). For cross-lagged effects: depressive symptoms stably and negatively predicted subsequent LM at T1→T2 (β=-0.12) and T2→T3 (β=-0.10~-0.23) in all groups; LM negatively predicted depressive symptoms only at T1→T2 in the full sample (β=-0.11) and low-education families (β=-0.12), positively predicted depressive symptoms at T2→T3 in intermediate-education families (β=0.08), and had no significant effect across all waves in high-education families. Conclusions: A stable negative correlation exists between depressive symptoms and LM among Chinese college freshmen: depressive symptoms consistently impair subsequent LM, while the protective effect of LM against depressive symptoms is phased, with subgroup differences in family educational background. These findings suggest that colleges and universities should prioritize early screening and intervention for freshmen's depressive symptoms to protect their LM, and provide targeted support based on parental educational background.