Effect of professional identity on depression in art education students: Academic emotion as a mediator

We investigated the effect of professional identity on depression levels in 368 art education college students in China, and assessed the mediating role of academic emotion in this relationship. The results showed that professional identity was significantly and negatively related to depression levels. Furthermore, academic emotion mediated the relationship between professional identity and depression levels. Our findings contribute to understanding of the relationships between professional identity, depression level, and academic emotion among art education college students in the context of Chinese higher education. The findings also provide practical insights for educators to reduce depression levels among art education college students and suggest future research directions.