Hope and Depression Among Left-behind Children: a Moderated Mediation Model

Abstract

Previous studies have found that hope mitigates depression among left-behind children; however, the specific mechanisms through which hope plays this role have yet to be explored in depth. We constructed a moderated mediation model using a questionnaire to examine the mediating role of life satisfaction between hope and depression and the moderating role of positive coping style in the above mediating pathway, with 611 left-behind children in China as participants. The results showed that hope negatively predicted depression and positively predicted life satisfaction, and that life satisfaction and depression were negatively correlated. Further, life satisfaction fully mediated the relationship between hope and depression, and positive coping moderated this mediation path. Implications of the findings are discussed.