Longitudinal associations between family conflict, intergenerational transmission, and adolescents' depressive symptoms: evidence from China Family Panel studies (2016-2020).
Yu Jin, Jiayi Liu, Pan Li, Yunquan Hu, Xintian Hong, Xiaoliang Li, Yongyong Teng, Mingxing Huang, Yuanyuan Wang
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引用次数: 0
Abstract
Background: Adolescent depression is increasing globally, and family conflict may contribute to its transmission across generations. However, longitudinal evidence on these dynamics remains sparse. This study examines the longitudinal associations between family conflict and adolescents' and parents' depressive symptoms from three waves of data.
Methods: Data from the 2016-2020 China Family Panel Studies (CFPS) were analyzed, including 1,772 adolescents (Mean age = 12.4, SD = 1.68 in 2016) and their parents. Family conflict was measured using three questions from adolescents, while depressive symptoms were assessed using the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale (CESD). Multiplelinear regression, latent growth models (LGM), and cross-lagged panel models (CLPM) were employed to examine longitudinal associations between family conflict and depressive symptoms.
Results: The results revealed that family conflict correlated with adolescents' depressive symptoms (r = 0.580,p < 0.001). Adolescents' depressive symptoms also exacerbated family conflict (β1 = 0.030, p < 0.05; β2 = 0.032, p < 0.01) across three waves, while family conflict had a limited contribution to parents' depressive symptoms. Mothers' depressive symptoms influenced adolescents' depressive symptoms significantly (β = 0.043,p < 0.05), while adolescents' depressive symptoms were transmitted to fathers' depressive symptoms (β = 0.080,p < 0.01) between Wave 2 and Wave 3. Moreover, the mother's education level negatively predicted adolescents' depressive symptoms (β = -0.296,p < 0.05).
Conclusions: Family conflict plays a critical role in adolescents' depressive symptoms and its intergenerational transmission. The findings underscore the pivotal role of family dynamics in mental health, especially in the development of adolescents' depressive symptoms. Interventions aimed at reducing family conflict may help mitigate depressive symptoms across generations.
期刊介绍：
Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Mental Health, the official journal of the International Association for Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Allied Professions, is an open access, online journal that provides an international platform for rapid and comprehensive scientific communication on child and adolescent mental health across different cultural backgrounds. CAPMH serves as a scientifically rigorous and broadly open forum for both interdisciplinary and cross-cultural exchange of research information, involving psychiatrists, paediatricians, psychologists, neuroscientists, and allied disciplines. The journal focusses on improving the knowledge base for the diagnosis, prognosis and treatment of mental health conditions in children and adolescents, and aims to integrate basic science, clinical research and the practical implementation of research findings. In addition, aspects which are still underrepresented in the traditional journals such as neurobiology and neuropsychology of psychiatric disorders in childhood and adolescence are considered.
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