Early parent-child separation and adolescent depressive symptoms: the mediating role of self-perceived pleasure in social interactions
Abstract Background Depressive symptoms are highly prevalent among adolescents with a history of parent-child separation. This study investigates whether self-perceived pleasure in social interactions mediates the relationship between early parent-child separation and depressive symptoms among Chine...
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| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
BMC
2025-02-01
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| Series: | BMC Psychology |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1186/s40359-025-02473-x |
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| Summary: | Abstract Background Depressive symptoms are highly prevalent among adolescents with a history of parent-child separation. This study investigates whether self-perceived pleasure in social interactions mediates the relationship between early parent-child separation and depressive symptoms among Chinese adolescents. Methods 1250 teenagers (mean age = 12.95 years, SD = 1.55; 54.6% male) completed self-report surveys assessing early parent-child separation, self-perceived pleasure in social interactions, and depressive symptoms. Mediation analysis was conducted using the bootstrap method. Results Early parent-child separation increased the risk for depressive symptoms in adolescents by 1.743 times (95% CI, 1.348–2.253). Self-perceived pleasure in social interaction partially mediated the association between early parent-child separation and adolescent depressive symptoms, after adjusting for age and gender (β = 0.095; 95%CI, 0.032–0.168). The mediating effect was significant and accounted for 19.87% of the total effect. Conclusions This study highlights the impact of self-perceived pleasure from social interactions on adolescent depressive symptoms. Improving perceived pleasure from social interactions may help reduce the negative effects of parent-child separation on depressive symptoms. |
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| ISSN: | 2050-7283 |