Association between parents’ value of children and adolescent depression in China: a multi-informant study
Abstract Background Parents’ value of children (VOC) is a related implicit belief toward their children that may predict adolescents’ mental health. However, empirical studies are scarce about this relationship. This study investigates the relationship between parents’ VOC and adolescent depression,...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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BMC
2025-04-01
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| Series: | BMC Psychology |
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1186/s40359-025-02684-2 |
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| author | Dan Dong Mengna Zheng Min Zong Peng Zhang Yi Feng Zhihong Qiao |
| author_facet | Dan Dong Mengna Zheng Min Zong Peng Zhang Yi Feng Zhihong Qiao |
| author_sort | Dan Dong |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Background Parents’ value of children (VOC) is a related implicit belief toward their children that may predict adolescents’ mental health. However, empirical studies are scarce about this relationship. This study investigates the relationship between parents’ VOC and adolescent depression, as well as the underlying mechanisms. Methods We conducted a multi-informant survey and developed a latent moderated mediation structural equation model of adolescent depression outcome of parents’ VOC. A total of 963 Chinese adolescents and their parents were recruited and examined. The parents completed the parents’ VOC scale and the adolescents responded to the scales of emotional warmth and rejection, external locus of control (LOC), and depression. Results Parents’ social and psychological VOC exerted a positive and negative direct effect respectively, on adolescent depression. Parents’ social VOC positively predicts adolescent depression through parental emotional warmth, rejection, and external LOC. Parents’ psychological VOC negatively predicts adolescent depression through emotional warmth and rejection. The indirect effects of parents’ social VOC on adolescent depression through emotional warmth and rejection were moderated by sex. Conclusions The two aspects of parents’ VOC exerted indirect effects on adolescent depression through emotional warmth and rejection or external LOC. The indirect effects of parents’ social VOC on adolescent depression were more evident among women than men. Our study extends the theoretical research framework of parents’ VOC to adolescent mental health. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-8cc176b8456f407383154e1bd1e06e4c |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 2050-7283 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-04-01 |
| publisher | BMC |
| record_format | Article |
| series | BMC Psychology |
| spelling | doaj-art-8cc176b8456f407383154e1bd1e06e4c2025-08-20T03:18:33ZengBMCBMC Psychology2050-72832025-04-0113111310.1186/s40359-025-02684-2Association between parents’ value of children and adolescent depression in China: a multi-informant studyDan Dong0Mengna Zheng1Min Zong2Peng Zhang3Yi Feng4Zhihong Qiao5School of Psychology, Fujian Normal UniversitySchool of Education, Anhui Normal UniversityMental Health Center, China Foreign Affairs UniversityFaculty of Psychology, Beijing Normal UniversityMental Health Center, Central University of Finance and EconomicsFaculty of Psychology, Beijing Normal UniversityAbstract Background Parents’ value of children (VOC) is a related implicit belief toward their children that may predict adolescents’ mental health. However, empirical studies are scarce about this relationship. This study investigates the relationship between parents’ VOC and adolescent depression, as well as the underlying mechanisms. Methods We conducted a multi-informant survey and developed a latent moderated mediation structural equation model of adolescent depression outcome of parents’ VOC. A total of 963 Chinese adolescents and their parents were recruited and examined. The parents completed the parents’ VOC scale and the adolescents responded to the scales of emotional warmth and rejection, external locus of control (LOC), and depression. Results Parents’ social and psychological VOC exerted a positive and negative direct effect respectively, on adolescent depression. Parents’ social VOC positively predicts adolescent depression through parental emotional warmth, rejection, and external LOC. Parents’ psychological VOC negatively predicts adolescent depression through emotional warmth and rejection. The indirect effects of parents’ social VOC on adolescent depression through emotional warmth and rejection were moderated by sex. Conclusions The two aspects of parents’ VOC exerted indirect effects on adolescent depression through emotional warmth and rejection or external LOC. The indirect effects of parents’ social VOC on adolescent depression were more evident among women than men. Our study extends the theoretical research framework of parents’ VOC to adolescent mental health.https://doi.org/10.1186/s40359-025-02684-2DepressionParents’ value of childrenEmotional warmthRejectionExternal locus of control |
| spellingShingle | Dan Dong Mengna Zheng Min Zong Peng Zhang Yi Feng Zhihong Qiao Association between parents’ value of children and adolescent depression in China: a multi-informant study BMC Psychology Depression Parents’ value of children Emotional warmth Rejection External locus of control |
| title | Association between parents’ value of children and adolescent depression in China: a multi-informant study |
| title_full | Association between parents’ value of children and adolescent depression in China: a multi-informant study |
| title_fullStr | Association between parents’ value of children and adolescent depression in China: a multi-informant study |
| title_full_unstemmed | Association between parents’ value of children and adolescent depression in China: a multi-informant study |
| title_short | Association between parents’ value of children and adolescent depression in China: a multi-informant study |
| title_sort | association between parents value of children and adolescent depression in china a multi informant study |
| topic | Depression Parents’ value of children Emotional warmth Rejection External locus of control |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1186/s40359-025-02684-2 |
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