Mexican-Origin College Students’ Stress, Sibling Relationships, Academic Motivation, and Depressive Symptoms

The current study investigated associations among interpersonal, academic, financial, and ethnicity-related stressors and college students’ academic motivation and depressive symptoms, as well as the moderating role of positive sibling relationships on these associations. Participants included 171 Mexican-origin college students (80.7% female; M = 21.6 years). Data were collected using an online survey and analyzed with path analysis. Under conditions of more positive sibling relationships, there was a positive association between interpersonal stress and academic motivation, a negative association between ethnicity-related social stress and academic motivation, and a positive association between financial stress and depressive symptoms. Under conditions of less positive sibling relationships, there was a positive association between interpersonal stress and depressive symptoms. Findings suggest that sibling relationships may only be protective for certain types of stress.