The Buffering Effect: How Family Support Mediates Achievement Pressure on Depression Through Gendered Pathways

Guided by social role theory and the stress-buffering model, this study examines the mechanism through which family achievement pressure (FAP) influences college students’ depression, with a focus on the mediating role of family support and the moderating effect of gender. Using survey data from 1,000 freshmen, we constructed a composite FAP index via principal component analysis (PCA) integrating parental occupational status and education level, and analyzed the data using a moderated mediation model (PROCESS Model 58). Key findings include:(1)FAP indirectly reduced depression levels by enhancing family support (β = −0.656, 95% CI [− 0.144, − 0.082]);(2)Gender significantly moderated the pressure→support path (β = −0.447, p  < .001), with females exhibiting a more pronounced increase in family support under pressure (β _female  = 0.866 vs. β _male  = 0.414, p  < .001) and twice the mediation effect strength (85.8% vs. 62.8% in males);(3)Gender-stratified PCA confirmed cross-gender stability of the FAP index structure (variance explained: 66.49% males, 68.39% females).These results unveil the duality of achievement pressure in high-SES families and provide empirical support for gender-tailored mental health interventions (e.g., reinforcing support systems for females vs. cognitive restructuring for males).