Cognitive Characteristics of Depressive Mood in College students and the Intervention Effect of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
Main Article Content
Abstract
College students face psychological challenges such as academic stress, interpersonal difficulties, and uncertainty about future planning, which contribute to the increasing prevalence of depressive mood and affect academic performance and physical and mental health. This study examines the cognitive characteristics of depressive mood among college students and evaluates the intervention effect of cognitive behavioral therapy. A total of 120 students with depressive mood are randomly assigned to an experimental group and a control group, with 60 participants in each group. The experimental group receives an eight-week CBT intervention, once per week for 90 minutes, including cognitive restructuring, behavioral activation, and problem-solving skills training. The control group receives regular mental health education. Changes are measured using the Beck Depression Inventory, Automatic Thoughts Questionnaire, and Dysfunctional Attitudes Scale before and after intervention and at follow-up. The results show that the BDI score in the experimental group decreases from 28.3 ± 6.2 at baseline to 12.5±4.8 after intervention. CBT effectively improves depressive mood and cognitive bias among college students.
Downloads
Article Details
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:
- Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work (See The Effect of Open Access).
References
J. Que, S. Chen, L. Shi, et al., “Intervention effect of digital cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia on insomnia and depression in young people, ” Chinese Medical Information Guide, vol. 40, no. 6, pp. 10-10, 2025, doi: 10.3760/cma.j.issn.1000-8039.2025.06.127.
R. Xu and X. Li, “Research progress in cognitive behavioral therapy for schizophrenia, ” Neurological Diseases and Mental Health, vol. 22, no. 5, pp. 342-346, 2022, doi: 10.3969/j.issn.1009-6574.2022.05.007.
Y. Wang, F. Wang, Y. Tang, et al., “Changes in low-frequency amplitude of rest-ing-state functional magnetic resonance imaging of the brain before and after cognitive behavioral therapy in patients with first-episode depression, ” Journal of China Medical University, vol. 49, no. 6, p. 5, 2020, doi: 10.12007/j.issn.0258-4646.2020.06.004.
L. Fu, H. Zhang, M. Zhang, et al., “Research progress on predictive factors of cognitive behavioral therapy effect of anxiety disorder in children and adolescents, ” Chinese Journal of Neuropsychiatric Diseases, vol. 46, no. 3, pp. 58-60, 2020, doi: CNKI: SUN: ZSJJ.0.2020-03-018.
X. Bao, Y. Zhao, and W. Zong, “The effects of narrative nursing combined with group cogni-tive behavioral therapy for insomnia on sleep and quality of life of patients with depression, ” Psychological Monthly, vol. 20, no. 12, pp. 132-134, 2025, doi: 10.19738/j.cnki.psy.2025.12.038.
A. Minocha, “Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, ” A Guide to Alternative Medicine and the Digestive System, pp. 92-94, 2024, doi: 10.1201/9781003524427-23.
N. Kazantzis, “Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, ” Psychiatric Clinics of North America, vol. 47, no. 2, pp. 301-310, 2024, doi: 10.1016/j.psc.2024.03.002.
T. Legenbauer, “Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, ” Handbook of Eating Disorders and Obesity, pp. 317-326, 2024, doi: 10.1007/978-3-662-67662-2_42.
N. Balsamo and J. W. Forgan, “Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, ” Parent’s Quick Start Guide to Autism, pp. 92-102, 2022, doi: 10.4324/9781003285953-10.
J. Wood, E. Storch, C. Fujii, et al., “Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), ” Encyclopedia of Autism Spectrum Disorders, 2021, doi: 10.1007/springerreference_69826.