The influence of community cohesion on depression: the mediating role of social support and psychological resilience

Introduction: Depression brings profound suffering to individuals, families and society. Although some research has been conducted on the relationship between community cohesion and depression, there is no more research to reveal the internal mechanism by which community cohesion affects depression comprehensively. This study aims to examine the association between community cohesion and depression and explore the mediating roles of social support and psychological resilience in this relationship during a specific period (the COVID-19 pandemic) and in a specific setting (urban communities). Methods: This cross-sectional study included valid 1010 adults from the Chinese Social Mentality Survey in 5 places with a gender distribution of 41.2% male and 58.8% female. Community Cohesion Scale, the Patient Health Questionnaire-9(PHQ-9), Social Support Questionnaire and Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale were used to assess variables. Data analysis involved descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation, and mediation analysis using the SPSS macro Process. Results and discussion: Community cohesion had negative effect on depression. Both social support and psychological resilience were found to serve as independent and sequential mediators in the relationship between community cohesion and depression. This research contributes to a deeper understanding of how community cohesion affects depression, offering pathways that could be targeted in future interventions.