The Ripple Effect: Unveiling the Bidirectional Relationship Between Negative Life Events and Depressive Symptoms in Medical Cadets

BACKGROUND: Previous studies have explored the relationship between negative life events and depression, but little is known about the bidirectional relationship between negative life events and depression, particularly in specific groups of medical cadets. PURPOSE: This study aimed to explore the relationship between negative life events and depressive symptoms among medical cadets during their four years of college. METHODS: An analysis of 4-wave longitudinal data collected from 2015–2018 was conducted using a cross-lagged panel network (CLPN) model to explore the complex causal relationship between negative life events and depressive symptoms in medical cadets (N=433). RESULTS: We found differences in negative life events and depressive symptoms among medical cadets across four network models over four years of university. Nodes A-21, A-20, A-23 and A-24, and depressive symptoms D-6 showed greater lagged effect values. CONCLUSION: Our findings suggest that there is a lagged and mutually causal interaction between negative life events and depressive symptoms in medical cadets over 4 years of college, but that the predictability of negative life events is more important. However, more attention needs to be paid to the predictive role of depressive symptoms, especially those in early life which are often overlooked. Our study provides new insights into the relationship between negative life events and depressive symptoms in university students and helps to refine strategies for prevention and intervention of depression.