The Mediating Role of Self-Differentiation in Predicting Depression Based on Family Process and Family Content

Minoo  Parsafar; Shahram  Vaziri

Authors

Minoo Parsafar M.A., Department of Clinical Psychology, Medical Sciences Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran Author https://orcid.org/0009-0007-4735-1106
Shahram Vaziri Department of Clinical Psychology, TeMS.C., Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5035-6054

Keywords:

Self-Differentiation; Depression; Family Process; Family Content; Structural Equation Modeling

Abstract

Purpose: This study aimed to investigate the mediating role of self-differentiation in the relationship between family process and family content and depression among university students.

Methods and Materials: This descriptive-correlational study employed structural equation modeling. The statistical population consisted of students enrolled at the Islamic Azad University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, during the 2025–2026 academic year. Based on the required sample size of 200 participants and allowance for possible attrition or incomplete responses, 220 students were recruited using non-random convenience sampling. Data were collected using the Beck Depression Inventory (1963), Samani’s Family Process and Content Scale (2005), and the Differentiation of Self Inventory developed by Skowron and Friedlander (2003). Data analysis was conducted using path analysis and structural equation modeling in SPSS version 27 and AMOS version 24. The hypothesized model examined the direct effects of family process and family content on depression and self-differentiation, as well as the indirect effects of family variables on depression through self-differentiation.

Findings: Structural equation modeling indicated that family process and family content significantly predicted depression. Both family process and family content also significantly predicted self-differentiation, while self-differentiation significantly predicted depression. The indirect pathways from family process and family content to depression through self-differentiation were significant, confirming the mediating role of self-differentiation. Because the direct associations between family variables and depression remained significant after inclusion of self-differentiation in the model, the mediation effect was partial rather than complete. Overall, the findings supported a model in which family-related characteristics were associated with depression both directly and indirectly through individual differences in self-differentiation.

Conclusion: The findings suggest that self-differentiation constitutes an important psychological mechanism through which family process and family content are associated with depressive symptoms. Accordingly, interventions designed to enhance differentiation of self, together with improving family relational processes and family functioning, may contribute to reducing vulnerability to depression among university students.

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