The mediating roles of perceived stress and college adaptation in the relationship between self-efficacy and depressive symptoms among first year college students

College students frequently report elevated levels of depressive symptoms during their initial transition to higher education, and prior research has linked these symptoms to the degree of successful adaptation to college life in the first semester. This study examined the role of general self-efficacy in shaping incoming undergraduate students’ perceptions of stress, their adaptation to college, and subsequent depressive symptoms. Using a serial mediation model, we tested the hypothesis that perceived stress and college adaptation would sequentially mediate the relationship between self-efficacy and depression. Results indicated that lower levels of general self-efficacy were significantly associated with higher levels of depression, with this relationship mediated by students’ perceptions of stress and their adaptation to college life. These findings underscore the importance of self-efficacy as a protective factor in student mental health and suggest that institutions and clinicians should prioritize interventions that enhance coping skills, reduce stress, and facilitate positive adaptation to college, thereby promoting psychological well-being and supporting a smoother transition into higher education.