The Mediating Role of Resilience in the Association Between Anxiety and Depressive Symptoms Among College Students at a Hispanic-Serving Institution in a U.S.–Mexico Border Region

Anxiety and depressive symptoms are prevalent concerns among college students, yet less is known about the role of resilience in their association among students in U.S.–Mexico border regions. This cross-sectional study examined whether resilience statistically mediated the association between anxiety and depressive symptoms while controlling for sociodemographic factors and year of data collection. Participants were a convenience sample of 857 college students attending a Hispanic-serving institution in a U.S.–Mexico border region from 2021 to 2025. Anxiety, resilience, and depressive symptoms were measured using the Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7, Brief Resilience Scale, and Patient Health Questionnaire-9, respectively. Mediation analysis was conducted using PROCESS Model 4 with 5000 bootstrap samples. Higher anxiety was associated with lower resilience (B = −0.056, p < 0.001), and greater resilience was associated with lower depressive symptoms (B = −1.379, p < 0.001). The indirect association of anxiety with depressive symptoms through resilience was significant (B = 0.077, 95% bootstrap CI [0.052, 0.103]). The direct association remained significant (B = 0.700, p < 0.001), indicating partial statistical mediation. These findings suggest that resilience is an important factor in the association between anxiety and depressive symptoms and may inform comprehensive student mental health initiatives.