The literature on risk and protective factors for depression focuses on biological, demographic, social-environmental, and psychological factors. Estimating a network model, this thesis project...Show moreThe literature on risk and protective factors for depression focuses on biological, demographic, social-environmental, and psychological factors. Estimating a network model, this thesis project explores how dynamic psychological risk and protective factors for depression interact and determines which factors are more central to a network of these factors (Research Question 1). It also tests if dynamic risk and protective coping factors relate to current depressive symptoms, as prior studies suggest (Research Question 2). Cross-sectional data from 453 students at a Dutch higher education participating in the WARN-D research project were analyzed. Overall, protective factors clustered together, as risk factors did. The strongest positive associations emerged between Seeking Distraction and Ignoring and between Locus of Control and Optimism. The strongest negative relations merged between Seeking Social Support and Ignoring, Resilience and Intolerance of Uncertainty, and Catastrophizing. Self-efficacy, Resilience, and Self-esteem were the most central features of the network. The results did not support the hypothesis that all the included risk and protective factors are related to current depressive symptoms. Only some were, with the strongest positive associations being between current depressive symptoms and Persistent Thinking and Optimism. Despite the limitations of the present work, these findings highlight the importance of further research on risk and protective factors for depression.Show less
