The relationship between appearance anxiety and depression among students in a medical university in China: a serial multiple mediation model

Background Appearance anxiety and depression have become common and global public health problems worldwide, especially among adolescents. However, few studies have revealed the mechanisms between them. This study aimed to explore the multiple mediating roles of interpersonal sensitivity and social support between appearance anxiety and depression among medical college students. Methods With 13 invalid samples excluded, 724 college students participated in our survey and completed questionnaires. The average age of 724 samples was 19.8 ± 2.02 including freshman to senior year and graduate school and above; 31.9% of the participants were male and 68.1% were female. SPSS 25.0 and Hayes’ PROCESS macro were used for statistical description, correlation analysis and built multiple mediation models. Results Appearance anxiety can not only directly affect depression, but also indirectly affect depression through three significant mediating pathways: (1) IS (B = 0.106, 95% CI [0.082–0.132]), which accounted for 49.77% of the total effect, (2) SS (B = 0.018, 95% CI [0.008–0.031]), which accounted for 8.45% of the total effect, and (3) IS and SS (B = 0.008, 95% CI [0.003–0.014]), which accounted for 3.76% of the total effect. And the total mediating effect was 61.97%. Limitations It is a cross-sectional research method and the causal relationship is unclear. Conclusions This study found that lower interpersonal sensitivity and higher social support can effectively reduce depression caused by appearance anxiety among college students. The schools and relevant departments should take measures to reduce the interpersonal sensitivity of college students and establish reliable social support, so as to reduce the occurrence of depression.