The impact of family structure on depressive symptoms in secondary school students: The mediating role of emotional neglect

IF 3.7 2区医学 Q1 PSYCHIATRY

Journal of psychiatric research Pub Date : 2025-04-14 DOI:10.1016/j.jpsychires.2025.04.022

Yanjing Ban , Chang Xu , Zhonghui Liu , Yin Li , Yu Han , Wei Xi , Fengqin Li , Qian Wang , Xianwei Zhang , Xin Zhang , Lei Gao

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Purpose

A growing body of research has identified the influence of family factors on depression. This study aimed to investigate the effects of different family structures on adolescent depressive symptoms and to investigate the mediating role of adverse childhood experiences between family structure and adolescent depressive symptoms.

Methods

Stratified whole cluster sampling was used. Junior and senior high school students were randomly selected from three schools in one district each in urban and rural areas. Depressive symptoms and traumatic events were investigated through the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) questionnaire and the Adverse Childhood Experiences International Questionnaire (ACE-IQ). Adolescent family structure types were classified using latent category analysis (LCA), and mediation models were used to explore the mediating effects of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) between family structure and depressive symptoms.

Results

After LCA analysis, three family structure types were delineated: Nuclear Family, Paternal Grandparents Family (single father + paternal grandparents as primary caregivers), and Paternal Grandparents Family (single mother + maternal grandparents as primary caregivers). Detection rate of depressive symptoms in non-nuclear families was 27.2 %; adolescent depressive symptoms were higher in Paternal Grandparents Family compared to Nuclear Family (OR = 0.823, 95 % CI:0.037,1.610, p < 0.05); the difference in adolescent depressive symptoms in Maternal Grandparents Family was not significant (OR = −0.504, 95 % CI: −1.570,0.561). The mediating effect of emotional neglect was only present in the association between Paternal Grandparents Family and depressive symptoms in secondary school students [β(95 %CI) = 0.490 (0.153,0.845)], with a mediating effect proportion of 58.40 %.

Conclusion

Depressive symptoms are more prominent among secondary school students in non-nuclear families, especially Paternal Grandparents Family. Emotional neglect, which may be triggered by the absence of the mother's role, increases the risk of depressive symptoms among secondary school students.

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家庭结构对中学生抑郁症状的影响：情绪忽视的中介作用

越来越多的研究已经确定了家庭因素对抑郁症的影响。本研究旨在探讨不同家庭结构对青少年抑郁症状的影响，并探讨童年不良经历在家庭结构与青少年抑郁症状之间的中介作用。方法采用分层整群抽样。从城市和农村各一个区的三所学校中随机抽取初高中学生。通过患者健康问卷-9 （PHQ-9）和儿童不良经历国际问卷（ACE-IQ）调查抑郁症状和创伤性事件。采用潜类分析（LCA）对青少年家庭结构类型进行分类，并采用中介模型探讨童年不良经历（ace）在家庭结构与抑郁症状之间的中介作用。结果通过LCA分析，划分出核心家庭、外公外婆家庭（单亲父亲+外公外婆为主照顾者）和外公外婆家庭（单亲母亲+外公外婆为主照顾者）三种家庭结构类型。非核心家庭抑郁症状检出率为27.2%；青少年抑郁症状在祖父母家庭高于核心家庭(OR = 0.823, 95% CI:0.037,1.610, p <；0.05);外祖父母家庭青少年抑郁症状差异无统计学意义（OR = - 0.504, 95% CI: - 1.570,0.561）。情绪忽视的中介作用仅存在于祖父母家庭与中学生抑郁症状的关联中[β(95% CI) = 0.490(0.153,0.845)]，中介作用比例为58.40%。结论中学生抑郁症状在非核心家庭中更为突出，尤其是祖父母家庭。情感忽视，可能是由母亲角色的缺失引发的，增加了中学生抑郁症状的风险。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

Journal of psychiatric research 医学-精神病学

CiteScore

7.30

自引率

2.10%

发文量

622

审稿时长

130 days

期刊介绍： Founded in 1961 to report on the latest work in psychiatry and cognate disciplines, the Journal of Psychiatric Research is dedicated to innovative and timely studies of four important areas of research: (1) clinical studies of all disciplines relating to psychiatric illness, as well as normal human behaviour, including biochemical, physiological, genetic, environmental, social, psychological and epidemiological factors; (2) basic studies pertaining to psychiatry in such fields as neuropsychopharmacology, neuroendocrinology, electrophysiology, genetics, experimental psychology and epidemiology; (3) the growing application of clinical laboratory techniques in psychiatry, including imagery and spectroscopy of the brain, molecular biology and computer sciences;