Elevated depressive symptoms are associated with impairments, reduced quality of life, and societal economic burden. A well-established stress-vulnerability model explaining depressive symptoms is Beck’s cognitive theory (Beck, 1976). An independent line of research demonstrated that a person’s perception of their status in comparison with others’ (subjective social status, SSS) is a stressor associated with depressive symptoms.

Theory-driven research investigating the interplay of different factors associated with depressive symptoms opens the door to improve the lives of the affected individuals and to reduce the overall societal burden. This study’s aim was to examine if SSS can be integrated as a stressor into Beck’s theory, looking specifically at whether it impacts depressive symptoms through the individual components (self, world and future) of the cognitive triad.

In this cross-sectional study, 243 community college students (58.6% female; mean age 23.95 years) in the southern United States completed self-reports measuring SSS, negative views of the self, world and future, and depressive symptoms.

SSS is negatively associated with each view of the cognitive triad. SSS and views of the self and world are negatively associated with depressive symptoms. Mediation analyses displayed a significant direct effect between SSS and depressive symptoms, as well as two indirect effects via negative view of self and world.

While further research is needed, therapists might benefit from our findings when tailoring their treatment to a client by considering their SSS and which negative view is particularly detrimental for this specific client.