Objectives: Postdoctoral researchers in Chinese universities commonly face a high risk of mental health issues, such as depression, yet the underlying causes and mechanisms remain unclear. This study aims to explore the influence of childhood socioeconomic status (SES) on depression among postdoctoral researchers and the mediating roles of current subjective SES and perceived stress in this process.
Methods: An online survey was conducted among postdoctoral researchers at a university. The survey included a general information questionnaire, the Childhood Socioeconomic Status Scale, the Subjective Socioeconomic Status Scale, the Perceived Stress Scale, and the Patient Health Questionnaire. A total of 505 valid responses were collected. Pearson correlation analysis was used to analyze the data, and the PROCESS macro was employed for chain mediation analysis.
Results: Childhood SES was significantly positively correlated with current subjective SES (P<0.05) and significantly negatively correlated with postdoctoral tenure, perceived stress, and depression (all P<0.05). Current subjective SES was significantly negatively correlated with perceived stress and depression (both P<0.05), while perceived stress was significantly positively correlated with depression (P<0.05). The chain mediation effect of childhood SES → current subjective SES → perceived stress → depression was significant (P<0.05).
Conclusions: Childhood socioeconomic status can influence depression among postdoctoral researchers through the mediating roles of current subjective socioeconomic status and perceived stress. These findings provide a target for the prevention and intervention of depression in postdoctoral populations and offer a reference for the development of mental health promotion strategies for young university faculty.
目的: 我国高校博士后普遍面临较高心理健康问题(如抑郁)风险，但其原因和机制仍不明确。本研究旨在探讨童年社会经济地位对高校博士后科研人员抑郁情绪的影响，及当下主观社会经济地位和压力感知在其中的作用。方法: 对某高校博士后科研人员进行线上问卷调查，完成一般情况调查表、童年期社会经济地位量表、主观社会经济地位量表、压力知觉量表和患者健康问卷。最终收回有效问卷505份。采用Pearson相关分析对数据进行相关分析，PROCESS宏程序进行链式中介分析。结果: 童年社会经济地位与当下主观社会经济地位显著正相关(P<0.01)，与进站年限、压力感知和抑郁均呈显著负相关(均P<0.05)；当下主观社会经济地位与压力感知和抑郁均呈显著负相关(均P<0.05)；压力感知与抑郁呈显著正相关(P<0.01)；童年社会经济地位→当下主观社会经济地位→压力感知→抑郁链式中介效应显著(P<0.05)。结论: 童年社会经济地位可通过当下主观社会经济地位和压力感知影响高校博士后科研人员的抑郁情绪，研究结果为预防和干预博士后群体抑郁情绪提供了靶点，也为高校青年教师心理健康促进策略的制订提供参考。.
Keywords: childhood socioeconomic status; depression; perceived stress; postdoctoral researchers; subjective socioeconomic status.