Multiple Mediating Effects of Social Network Structural Characteristics, Social Support, and Social Conflict on the Relationship Between Internalized Shame and Depression Among College Students

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between internalized shame and depression among college students and to investigate whether social networks—specifically structural characteristics, social support, and social conflict—mediate this relationship. A total of 241 college students from universities located in B City and the K region participated in the study by completing self-report questionnaires measuring internalized shame, social networks, and depression. The collected data were analyzed using the PROCESS macro for SPSS. The results revealed, first, that internalized shame, social networks, and depression were significantly correlated. Second, mediation analyses indicated that the structural characteristics of social networks and social conflict significantly mediated the relationship between internalized shame and depression, whereas social support did not show a significant mediating effect. These findings suggest that structural constriction of social networks and interpersonal conflict play critical roles in the pathway through which internalized shame influences depression among college students. In particular, the results indicate that maintaining social network structures and managing interpersonal conflict may have a more substantial impact on preventing depression than the direct buffering effect of social support. Based on these findings, implications and limitations of the study are discussed.