Observational Study
Copyright ©The Author(s) 2024. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
World J Psychiatry. Nov 19, 2024; 14(11): 1671-1680
Published online Nov 19, 2024. doi: 10.5498/wjp.v14.i11.1671
Dysfunctional attitudes, social support, negative life events, and depressive symptoms in Chinese adolescents: A moderated mediation model
Teng-Fei Yu, Li Liu, Lu-Ning Shang, Fang-Fang Xu, Zhi-Min Chen, Li-Ju Qian
Teng-Fei Yu, Lu-Ning Shang, Fang-Fang Xu, Li-Ju Qian, Department of Children and Adolescent Mental Health, Shandong Daizhuang Hospital, Jining 272000, Shandong Province, China
Li Liu, Zhi-Min Chen, Department of Alcohol Addition, Shandong Daizhuang Hospital, Jining 272000, Shandong Province, China
Author contributions: Yu TF, Shang LN, and Chen ZM carried out the studies, participated in collecting data, and drafted the manuscript; Yu TF, Liu L, and Xu FF performed the statistical analysis and participated in its design; Yu TF and Qian LJ participated in acquisition, analysis, or interpretation of data and draft the manuscript; and all authors read and approved the final manuscript.
Supported by City Science and Technology Development Project in Jining, No. 2021YXNS049, No. 2022YXNS100, No. 2022YXNS102, and No.2022YXNS109.
Institutional review board statement: This study was approved by the Ethic Committee of Shandong Daizhuang Hospital (Approval No. 202306KS-1).
Informed consent statement: The Ethic Committee of Shandong Daizhuang Hospital waived the need for individual consent.
Conflict-of-interest statement: There are no conflicts of interest to report.
Data sharing statement: No additional data are available.
STROBE statement: The authors have read the STROBE Statement-checklist of items, and the manuscript was prepared and revised according to the STROBE Statement-checklist of items.
Open-Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: https://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Li-Ju Qian, PhD, Professor, Department of Children and Adolescent Mental Health, Shandong Daizhuang Hospital, No. 1 Jidai Road, Liying Street, Rencheng District, Jining 272000, Shandong Province, China. qljll@126.com
Received: April 22, 2024
Revised: May 22, 2024
Accepted: July 31, 2024
Published online: November 19, 2024
Processing time: 199 Days and 2.3 Hours
Abstract
BACKGROUND

Depression is a prevalent psychological issue in adolescents that is significantly related to negative life events (NLEs) and dysfunctional attitudes. High levels of social support can significantly buffer NLEs’ effect on depression. Currently, there is limited research on how social support moderates the relationship between NLEs, dysfunctional attitudes, and depression in adolescents in China. It is imperative to investigate this moderating effect to mitigate dysfunctional attitudes in adolescent undergoing depressive mood, ultimately enhancing their overall mental health.

AIM

To investigate the relationship and underlying mechanisms between specific dysfunctional attitudes, social support, and depression among Chinese adolescents.

METHODS

This is a cross-sectional study which selected five middle schools in Shandong Province for investigation in March 2022. Participants included 795 adolescents (49.87% male, mage = 15.15, SD = 1.84, age range = 11-18 years old). All participants completed the Dysfunctional Attitude Scale, Adolescent Life Event Scale, Beck Depression Inventory, and Social Support Rating Scale. A moderated mediation model was conducted to examine the relationship between specific dysfunctional attitudes, social support, and depression.

RESULTS

Results indicated that NLEs affected depression through the mediating role of specific dysfunctional attitudes (autonomy attitudes β = 0.21; perfectionism β = 0.25). Moreover, social support was found to moderate the mediating effect between NLEs, specific dysfunctional attitudes, and depressive symptoms (autonomy attitudes b2 = -0.08; perfectionism b2 = -0.09).

CONCLUSION

Dysfunctional attitudes mediated and social support moderated the relationship between NLEs and depression. Social support can buffer depression symptoms among adolescents with autonomy attitudes and perfectionism.

Keywords: Depression; Dysfunctional attitudes; Social support; Adolescents; Moderated mediation model

Core Tip: Depression is a prevalent psychological issue in adolescents that is significantly related to negative life events (NLEs) and dysfunctional attitudes. Enhancing social support can significantly buffer NLEs’ effect on depression. In this study, 795 adolescents were surveyed to examine the mediating role of specific dysfunctional attitudes. It also examined how social support moderated the relationship between NLEs and depression. This study helps develop a theoretical framework for psychological interventions for adolescents with depression. Autonomy and perfectionism are two components of dysfunctional attitudes found to play a role in depression. Social support can protect against depressive symptoms.