The Relationship Between College Year and Depressive Symptoms for University Students

The goal of the present study was to examine how gender and grade level relate to depressive symptoms in a sample of university students. Based on previous research, it was expected that students in their first year of college would report more depressive symptoms than nonfreshmen, women would report more depression than men, and that female students in their first year of college would have the highest scores on a depression inventory. The Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) (Beck, 1979) was completed by 131 freshmen and 114 nonfreshmen at a Midwestern university. The final sample included 188 women and 57 men, a sex ratio reflecting the typical undergraduate introductory class in the psychology department of the university. Contrary to expectations, no significant relationships were found between scores on the BDI and gender or grade level. Possible reasons for the lack of significant results are discussed. Findings from the study do suggest, however, that some students, especially female students, reported symptoms of depression that were possibly clinically significant. Future research is needed to help better identify which students are at risk for depression