Depression is one of the most prevalent and disabling mental health problems in college students. Previous studies have established cross-sectional associations between negative bias in prospection e.g., increased negativity in future simulation, low self-efficacy, and depressive symptoms. Nevertheless, the temporal bidirectional associations between them are rarely examined. In the current study, we collected valid data on 276 college students at two time points within a 10 week interval. Cross-lagged panel analysis was applied to investigate the relationships between proportions of negative future events, levels of self-efficacy, and depressive symptoms. Results suggested depressive symptoms predict subsequent proportions of negative prospections and levels of self-efficacy. Inversely, neither prospection nor self-efficacy predicted depression. Temporal correlations between prospection and self-efficacy were also not significant. Since this is one of the first studies that attempts to figure out temporal links between these mutually informing factors, more longitudinal research is needed to draw a firm conclusion. This study provides new insights into the relationship between negative biases in cognitions and depressive symptoms and highlights the need to intervene early with depressive symptoms before any possible cognitive distortions in college students.
Keywords: college students; depression; longitudinal study; prospection; self-efficacy.