Longitudinal Relationships Between Interparental Conflict and Adolescent Depression: Moderating Effects of School Connectedness

Cumulative risk for comorbidity of depression and anxiety in young people

BACKGROUND

Depression and anxiety often co-occur, resulting in a more severe prognosis than either condition alone. Identifying the impact of risk factors on this comorbidity is essential for guiding early interventions.

METHOD

Data from 4563 young participants in the Growing Up in New Zealand (GUiNZ) longitudinal study were analysed to identify risk factors associated with comorbid depression and anxiety. Scores for depression and anxiety symptoms were converted into binary variables using the cut-off of 10 and 60, respectively, and then combined to create the comorbidity outcome. A Cumulative Risk (CR) score was used to measure the impact of multiple risk factors from prenatal to childhood on the likelihood of this comorbidity. CR scores were further grouped into three levels of risk, and their association with comorbidity was examined using univariable and multivariable logistic regression analyses.

RESULTS

The prevalence of comorbidity at age 12 years was 8.9% (406/4563). Among young people, 14.2% (647/ 4563) had no risk factors, 64.7% (2953/4563) had one to three (low CR score level), and 21.1% (963/4563) had four or more risk factors (high CR score level). In the adjusted analyses, young people in the low and high CR levels had 2.6 times and 4.6 times higher odds, respectively, of experiencing comorbidity compared to those with no risk factors.

DISCUSSION

The risk of comorbid depression and anxiety symptoms increases with the number of risk factors experienced from prenatal to childhood. Multi-faceted interventions targeting several risk factors are recommended to improve youth mental health.

Longitudinal associations between family conflict, intergenerational transmission, and adolescents' depressive symptoms: evidence from China Family Panel studies (2016-2020)

BACKGROUND

Adolescent depression is increasing globally, and family conflict may contribute to its transmission across generations. However, longitudinal evidence on these dynamics remains sparse. This study examines the longitudinal associations between family conflict and adolescents' and parents' depressive symptoms from three waves of data.

METHODS

Data from the 2016-2020 China Family Panel Studies (CFPS) were analyzed, including 1,772 adolescents (Mean age = 12.4, SD = 1.68 in 2016) and their parents. Family conflict was measured using three questions from adolescents, while depressive symptoms were assessed using the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale (CESD). Multiplelinear regression, latent growth models (LGM), and cross-lagged panel models (CLPM) were employed to examine longitudinal associations between family conflict and depressive symptoms.

RESULTS

The results revealed that family conflict correlated with adolescents' depressive symptoms (r = 0.580,p < 0.001). Adolescents' depressive symptoms also exacerbated family conflict (β1 = 0.030, p < 0.05; β2 = 0.032, p < 0.01) across three waves, while family conflict had a limited contribution to parents' depressive symptoms. Mothers' depressive symptoms influenced adolescents' depressive symptoms significantly (β = 0.043,p < 0.05), while adolescents' depressive symptoms were transmitted to fathers' depressive symptoms (β = 0.080,p < 0.01) between Wave 2 and Wave 3. Moreover, the mother's education level negatively predicted adolescents' depressive symptoms (β = -0.296,p < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

Family conflict plays a critical role in adolescents' depressive symptoms and its intergenerational transmission. The findings underscore the pivotal role of family dynamics in mental health, especially in the development of adolescents' depressive symptoms. Interventions aimed at reducing family conflict may help mitigate depressive symptoms across generations.

Income inequality and comorbid overweight/obesity and depression among a large sample of Canadian secondary school students: The mediator effect of social cohesion

Background

Comorbid overweight/obesity (OWO) and depression is emerging as a public health problem among adolescents. Income inequality is a structural determinant of health that independently increases the risk for both OWO and depression among youth. However, no study has examined the association between income inequality and comorbid OWO and depression or tested potential mechanisms involved. We aimed to identify the association between income inequality and comorbid OWO and depression and to test whether social cohesion mediates this relationship.

Methods

We used data from the 2018-2019 Cannabis, Obesity, Mental health, Physical activity, Alcohol, Smoking and Sedentary behavior (COMPASS) project. Our sample was composed of 46,171 adolescents from 136 schools distributed in 43 census divisions in 4 provinces in Canada (Ontario, Alberta, British Columbia, and Quebec). Gender-stratified multilevel path analyses models were used to examine whether income inequality (Gini coefficient) was associated with comorbid OWO and depression and whether the association was mediated by school connectedness, a proxy measure for social cohesion.

Results

The direct effect between income inequality and OWO-depression comorbidity was not significant. However, income inequality was significantly associated with increased risk of comorbidity via social cohesion. One standard deviation increase in the Gini coefficient was associated with a 9% and 8% increase in the odds of comorbidity in females (OR=1.09; 95% CI=1.03, 1.16) and males (OR=1.08; 95% CI=1.03, 1.13).

Conclusion

Policies aimed at reducing income inequality, and interventions to improve social cohesion, may contribute to reducing the risk of OWO-depression comorbidity among adolescents.

Gendered Parenting: Maternal Son Preference and Depressive Symptoms in Chinese Early Adolescents

This study focused on the nuanced phenomenon of gendered parenting by exploring how maternal son preference is associated with depressive symptoms among Chinese early adolescents. Focusing on 1093 junior high school students from a relatively affluent city in Western China, this study examined the mediating roles of mother-child attachment and father-child attachment as well as the moderating role of school connectedness in the relationship between maternal son preference and depressive symptoms. The results revealed a noteworthy positive correlation between maternal son preference and depressive symptoms among female adolescents, with no significant association observed in males. In addition, mother-child attachment and father-child attachment mediated the relationship between maternal son preference and girls' depressive symptoms, supporting the "spillover effect" and "crossover effect". Moreover, a moderation effect analysis indicated that a higher level of school connectedness can buffer the effect of maternal son preference on girls' depressive symptoms, while a lower level of school connectedness can enhance the effect of maternal son preference on girls' depressive symptoms. In addition, maternal son preference was negatively correlated with boys' depressive symptoms in relation to high school connectedness. These insights help enhance people's understanding of gendered parenting, emphasizing the enduring necessity of addressing son preference within the broader context of promoting gender equality.

Risk and Protective Factors of Depression in Family and School Domains for Chinese Early Adolescents: An Association Rule Mining Approach

Depression is one of the most common psychological problems in adolescence. Familial and school-related factors are closely related to adolescents' depression, but their combined effects need further examination. The purpose of this study was to explore the combined effects of risk/protective factors of depression in family and school domains using a sample of Chinese adolescents differing in gender, age group and left-behind status. A total of 2455 Chinese students in primary and secondary school participated in the cross-sectional survey and reported multiple risk/protective factors in family and school environments and depressive symptoms. Association rule mining, a machine learning method, was used in the data analyses to identify the correlation between risk/protective factor combinations and depression. We found that (1) Family cohesion, family conflict, peer support, and teacher support emerged as the strongest factors associated with adolescent depression; (2) The combination of these aforementioned factors further strengthened their association with depression; (3) Female gender, middle school students, and family socioeconomic disadvantages attenuated the protective effects of positive relational factors while exacerbating the deleterious effects of negative relational factors; (4) For individuals at risk, lack of mental health education resources at school intensified the negative impact; (5) The risk and protective factors of depression varied according to gender, age stage and left-behind status. In conclusion, the findings shed light on the identification of high-risk adolescents for depression and underscore the importance of tailored programs targeting specific subgroups based on gender, age, or left-behind status.