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Background: Following China's strategy of developing applied and compound social talents, vocational undergraduates are surging rapidly, and it is essential to understand the causes of their depression to effectively prevent and intervene in schools. Objective: We aimed to investigate the relationship between negative life events (NLEs) and depression among vocational undergraduates in China, along with the mediating role of loneliness and the moderating role of socioeconomic status (SES). Methods: A convenience sample survey was conducted at a vocational education university (N = 1487), and analyzed using partial least squares structural equation modeling. Results: Findings showed that NLEs directly predicted depression (β = 0.399, 95% CI [0.339, 0.452], p < 0.001) among vocational undergraduates. Furthermore, this relationship was partially mediated by loneliness (β = 0.182, 95% CI [0.145, 221], p < 0.001); SES moderated the link between NLEs and depression (β = 0.051, 95% CI [0.004, 092], p < 0.05), but not between NLEs and loneliness (p > 0.05). Conclusions: The current study highlights the impact of NLEs on depression among vocational undergraduates, indicating the importance of addressing NLEs and consequent feelings of loneliness to promote mental health. In addition, the moderating role of SES underscores the necessity of targeted interventions to mitigate the impact of NLEs on depression. The present study contributes to our understanding of the unique characteristics of depression in vocational undergraduates and has practical implications for psychological support services. Moreover, it probably has broader implications for addressing mental health challenges in global education settings for vocational undergraduates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The prevalence of depression among adolescents is increasing, which can hinder their healthy development and is intricately linked to the intolerance of uncertainty (IU). IU involves both prospective anxiety and inhibitory anxiety. However, the precise relationship between depressive symptoms and these two components of IU remains unclear, particularly when considering the specific context of rural adolescents in China. A total of 1488 adolescents (male, 848; Meanage = 20, SDage = 1.51, age range from 16 to 24) in China were recruited and divided into urban adolescents (N = 439) and rural adolescents (N = 1049) groups. The Patient Health Questionnaire-9 and Intolerance of Uncertainty Scale-12 were utilized to measure depression and IU. The symptom network approach and the flow network approach were employed. The prevalence of depression was significantly higher (χ2 = 4.09, p = 0.04) among rural adolescents (N = 419, 40.1%) than urban adolescents (N = 152, 34.8%). The node strength of "motor" demonstrated some discrepancy between rural and urban adolescents, while there was no notable disparity in the global strength and structure of the network between the two groups. However, rural adolescents exhibited a significantly higher global strength in the flow network (including depression and IU) than their urban counterparts. In the flow networks of rural adolescents, "guilt" was directly associated with prospective and inhibitory anxiety. These findings highlight the urgent need for interventions that enhance the ability of rural adolescents to cope with uncertainty and prevent their depressive symptoms more effectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]