The effects of parent-child relationship, study stress, and mobile phone use on depressive symptoms among Chinese elementary school students: a moderated mediation model
IntroductionWith the rising prevalence of depressive symptoms among younger individuals, depressive symptoms in elementary school students have become a focal issue of concern in society. This study investigated the association between parent-child relationship and depressive symptoms among Chinese...
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2025-03-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Psychiatry |
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| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyt.2025.1555120/full |
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| author | Yiting Kong Yiting Kong Zhewei Su Zhewei Su Rui Wang Rui Wang Jianyu Tan Jianyu Tan Yuancen Zhong Yuancen Zhong Ming Ai Ming Ai Wo Wang Wo Wang Su Hong Su Hong Qi Zhang Qi Zhang Li Kuang Li Kuang |
| author_facet | Yiting Kong Yiting Kong Zhewei Su Zhewei Su Rui Wang Rui Wang Jianyu Tan Jianyu Tan Yuancen Zhong Yuancen Zhong Ming Ai Ming Ai Wo Wang Wo Wang Su Hong Su Hong Qi Zhang Qi Zhang Li Kuang Li Kuang |
| author_sort | Yiting Kong |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | IntroductionWith the rising prevalence of depressive symptoms among younger individuals, depressive symptoms in elementary school students have become a focal issue of concern in society. This study investigated the association between parent-child relationship and depressive symptoms among Chinese elementary school students while testing a moderated mediation model to examine the mediating role of significant study stress and the moderating effect of frequent mobile phone use on this relationship.MethodsWe recruited elementary school students from grades 3 to 6 in S district of Chongqing, China, totaling 33,285 participants (51.72% girls; mean age = 10.36 years, SD = 1.24). Data was analyzed using structural equation modeling to assess the mediating and moderating effects of study stress and mobile phone use, respectively, on the relationship between parent-child relationship and depressive symptoms.ResultsDepressive symptoms prevalence in our study population was 16.3%. Both fair and poor parent-child relationships were significantly linked to an increased risk of depressive symptoms, with study stress serving as a mediator (indirect effects: fair parent-child relationship = 0.058, poor parent-child relationship = 0.031, p < 0.001). Frequent mobile phone use amplified the impact of fair parent-child relationships on study stress (β=0.024, SE=0.016, p < 0.05) and depressive symptoms (β = 0.021, SE = 0.018, p < 0.05) but did not moderate the relationship between poor parent-child relationships and these outcomes.DiscussionThese results emphasize the importance of nurturing parent-child relationship, monitoring study stress, and managing mobile phone usage to support students’ mental health. Furthermore, the findings suggest that the impact of mobile phone usage on the mental health of elementary school students varies in complexity across different parent-child relationship contexts, providing valuable insights and recommendations for developing targeted preventive interventions for depressive symptoms in this demographic. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-ab7c2d8cce7b494fb2d8f53bb3a5f6ef |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 1664-0640 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-03-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
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| series | Frontiers in Psychiatry |
| spelling | doaj-art-ab7c2d8cce7b494fb2d8f53bb3a5f6ef2025-08-20T02:59:23ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Psychiatry1664-06402025-03-011610.3389/fpsyt.2025.15551201555120The effects of parent-child relationship, study stress, and mobile phone use on depressive symptoms among Chinese elementary school students: a moderated mediation modelYiting Kong0Yiting Kong1Zhewei Su2Zhewei Su3Rui Wang4Rui Wang5Jianyu Tan6Jianyu Tan7Yuancen Zhong8Yuancen Zhong9Ming Ai10Ming Ai11Wo Wang12Wo Wang13Su Hong14Su Hong15Qi Zhang16Qi Zhang17Li Kuang18Li Kuang19Department of Psychiatry, The First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, ChinaPsychiatric Center, The First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, ChinaDepartment of Psychiatry, The First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, ChinaPsychiatric Center, The First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, ChinaDepartment of Psychiatry, The First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, ChinaPsychiatric Center, The First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, ChinaDepartment of Psychiatry, The First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, ChinaPsychiatric Center, The First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, ChinaDepartment of Psychiatry, The First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, ChinaPsychiatric Center, The First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, ChinaDepartment of Psychiatry, The First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, ChinaPsychiatric Center, The First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, ChinaPsychiatric Center, The First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, ChinaMental Health Center, University-Town Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, ChinaDepartment of Psychiatry, The First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, ChinaPsychiatric Center, The First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, ChinaDepartment of Psychiatry, The First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, ChinaPsychiatric Center, The First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, ChinaPsychiatric Center, The First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, ChinaMental Health Center, University-Town Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, ChinaIntroductionWith the rising prevalence of depressive symptoms among younger individuals, depressive symptoms in elementary school students have become a focal issue of concern in society. This study investigated the association between parent-child relationship and depressive symptoms among Chinese elementary school students while testing a moderated mediation model to examine the mediating role of significant study stress and the moderating effect of frequent mobile phone use on this relationship.MethodsWe recruited elementary school students from grades 3 to 6 in S district of Chongqing, China, totaling 33,285 participants (51.72% girls; mean age = 10.36 years, SD = 1.24). Data was analyzed using structural equation modeling to assess the mediating and moderating effects of study stress and mobile phone use, respectively, on the relationship between parent-child relationship and depressive symptoms.ResultsDepressive symptoms prevalence in our study population was 16.3%. Both fair and poor parent-child relationships were significantly linked to an increased risk of depressive symptoms, with study stress serving as a mediator (indirect effects: fair parent-child relationship = 0.058, poor parent-child relationship = 0.031, p < 0.001). Frequent mobile phone use amplified the impact of fair parent-child relationships on study stress (β=0.024, SE=0.016, p < 0.05) and depressive symptoms (β = 0.021, SE = 0.018, p < 0.05) but did not moderate the relationship between poor parent-child relationships and these outcomes.DiscussionThese results emphasize the importance of nurturing parent-child relationship, monitoring study stress, and managing mobile phone usage to support students’ mental health. Furthermore, the findings suggest that the impact of mobile phone usage on the mental health of elementary school students varies in complexity across different parent-child relationship contexts, providing valuable insights and recommendations for developing targeted preventive interventions for depressive symptoms in this demographic.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyt.2025.1555120/fullparent-child relationshipdepressive symptomsstudy stressmobile phone useelementary school students |
| spellingShingle | Yiting Kong Yiting Kong Zhewei Su Zhewei Su Rui Wang Rui Wang Jianyu Tan Jianyu Tan Yuancen Zhong Yuancen Zhong Ming Ai Ming Ai Wo Wang Wo Wang Su Hong Su Hong Qi Zhang Qi Zhang Li Kuang Li Kuang The effects of parent-child relationship, study stress, and mobile phone use on depressive symptoms among Chinese elementary school students: a moderated mediation model Frontiers in Psychiatry parent-child relationship depressive symptoms study stress mobile phone use elementary school students |
| title | The effects of parent-child relationship, study stress, and mobile phone use on depressive symptoms among Chinese elementary school students: a moderated mediation model |
| title_full | The effects of parent-child relationship, study stress, and mobile phone use on depressive symptoms among Chinese elementary school students: a moderated mediation model |
| title_fullStr | The effects of parent-child relationship, study stress, and mobile phone use on depressive symptoms among Chinese elementary school students: a moderated mediation model |
| title_full_unstemmed | The effects of parent-child relationship, study stress, and mobile phone use on depressive symptoms among Chinese elementary school students: a moderated mediation model |
| title_short | The effects of parent-child relationship, study stress, and mobile phone use on depressive symptoms among Chinese elementary school students: a moderated mediation model |
| title_sort | effects of parent child relationship study stress and mobile phone use on depressive symptoms among chinese elementary school students a moderated mediation model |
| topic | parent-child relationship depressive symptoms study stress mobile phone use elementary school students |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyt.2025.1555120/full |
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