Investigating How Parental Education Moderates the Effects of Depression on Male College Students' Beliefs Toward Degree Completion

Background

Depression has been linked to decreased self-efficacy and negative beliefs about future achievement. However, mechanisms through which depression affects students’ academic beliefs regarding degree completion remain unexplored, particularly among male populations. This gap persists despite evidence of gender differences in depressive symptom expression and academic engagement. Furthermore, the impact of sociodemographic variables (e.g., parental education, race, and socioeconomic status [SES]) on these relationships is understudied, which limits the development of targeted interventions. Given the well-documented positive relationships amongst parental education, SES, and students’ academic beliefs, extending this work to explore the interplay across these factors and common mental health challenges, such as depression, among male students is essential to delivering effective campus-based supports. Hence, this study addresses the following research questions (RQs): (1) Does depression predict male students’ beliefs about completing their degree? (2) Does depression predict male students’ beliefs about completing their degree while controlling for parental education, race, and SES? and (3) Is the relationship between depression and male students’ beliefs about completing their degree moderated by parental education while controlling for race and SES?

Methods

This study utilizes the publicly available 2024 Healthy Minds Study (N=24,315). Students’ beliefs toward degree completion were measured dichotomously (definitive confidence v. uncertainty and doubt), with 84% (n=20,522) reporting definitive confidence. Depression was assessed dichotomously using a cutoff score of 10 from participants' responses to the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (scores>10 indicate depression); Around 31% (n=7,459) endorsed depression. Parental educational status assessed participants' responses regarding the highest level of education attained by a parent, guardian, or stepparent (1=neither parent earned a post-secondary degree; 2=one parent earned a post-secondary degree; and 3=both parents earned post-secondary degrees). Around 49% (n=12,026) reported both parents earned post-secondary degrees. Race was dichotomized as students of color (39.3%) versus white (60.7%). SES was measured continuously by participants' self-reports of their financial situation growing up: 1(never stressful) to 5 (always stressful). Linear regressions were constructed in SPSS®28.

Results

Regarding RQ#1, depression was significantly associated with lower degree completion beliefs (B=0.25, p<.001).

Regarding RQ#2, when accounting for parental education, race, and SES, depression remained a significant predictor (B=0.26, p<.001). Additionally, having both parents with post-secondary degrees was associated with higher degree completion beliefs (B=1.21, p<.05) compared to students with parents without post-secondary degrees. Males of color reported higher degree completion beliefs than white males (B=1.26, p<.001), and higher SES was positively associated with degree completion beliefs (B=0.93, p<.001).

Regarding RQ#3, the interaction between depression and parental education was significant for males with one parent holding a post-secondary degree (B=0.93, p<.001) and for males with both parents attaining postsecondary degrees (B=0.92, p<.001), indicating that parental education moderates the detrimental effects of depression on degree completion beliefs.

Conclusion

Our findings illustrate that while depression reduces positive academic beliefs among male students, high parental educational attainment plays a protective role. However, depression limits its buffering capacity, highlighting the need for comprehensive, evidence-based, and strength-based interventions that build resilience and enhance males’ confidence around academic achievement, thereby enhancing degree completion outcomes for male students.