The Relationship Between Parent-Adolescent Communication and Depressive Symptoms: The Roles of School Life Experience, Learning Difficulties and Confidence in the Future

Abstract

Adolescent depression has become a public health issue in China. Family environment and school life play important roles in shaping adolescent mental health. Our study aimed to examine the effect of parent-adolescent communication, school-life experiences, learning difficulties, and confidence in the future on depressive symptoms. We also examined the mediating effects of school-life experiences, learning difficulties, and confidence in the future on the relationship between parent-adolescent communication and depressive symptoms. Methods: Data on depressive symptoms, parent-adolescent communication, and mediating variables were obtained from the China Education Panel Survey (CEPS), including baseline data (2013-2014) and follow-up data (2014)(2015). Mixed-effect models were used to evaluate the effects of parent-adolescent communication, school-life experiences, learning difficulties, and confidence in the future on depressive symptoms, and path analyses were performed to determine the mediating roles of school-life experiences, learning difficulties, and confidence in the future on the relationship between parent-adolescent communication and adolescent depressive symptoms. Results: More father-adolescent communication, better school-life experiences, and higher confidence in the future were protective factors for depressive symptoms among all boys and girls, and learning difficulties were a risk factor for depressive symptoms among all boys and girls. School-life experiences, learning difficulties, and confidence in the future had statistically significant mediating effects on the relationship between parent-adolescent communication and depressive symptoms. Conclusion: More father-adolescent communication, higher confidence in the future, better school-life experiences, and fewer academic difficulties were associated with lower levels of depressive symptoms. Both mother-adolescent communication and father-adolescent communication affected depressive symptoms through their effects on school-life experience, learning difficulties, and confidence in the future. This finding highlighted the importance of parent-adolescent communication and its impact on depression.

Knowledge, attitudes, and practices of adolescent depression among parents of children diagnosed with depression in Ningbo City, eastern China

“…This pervasive issue poses significant threats to academic performance and social relationships and increases the risks of substance abuse and suicide ( 3 ). Effective parent-adolescent communication is a protective factor against adolescent depression, while contentious relationships between parents and adolescents amplify the likelihood of depression in adolescents ( 4 ). The correlation between heightened conflict levels and adolescent depression is evident, emphasizing the critical role of parental responses in shaping emotional functioning and management.…”

“…The gravity of adolescent depression extends beyond immediate consequences, casting a shadow over both current and future mental well-being, underscoring the urgency of addressing this issue. It is particularly crucial considering the escalating prominence of adolescent depression as a public health concern in China ( 4 , 5 ).…”

Problem Behaviors of Adolescents: The Role of Family Socioeconomic Status, Parental Educational Expectations, and Adolescents’ Confidence in the Future

“…As an aspect of self-confidence, confidence in the future is not only a part of self-esteem [ 33 ] but also a part of the feeling of hope (called “dynamic thought” in Snyder’s hope theory) [ 34 ]. High confidence helps children cope with negative outcomes and worry less about failure [ 35 ]. However, it is not clear whether adolescents’ confidence in the future plays a role in adolescents’ problem behaviors and whether adolescents’ confidence in the future mediates the relationship between family socioeconomic status and adolescents’ problem behaviors.…”

The impact of family interventions on communication in the context of anxiety and depression in those aged 14–24 years: systematic review of randomised control trials

“…8 Given the ubiquity of communication in human relationships, it has been argued that negative patterns of communication can contribute to the onset of mental health problems, as they exacerbate risk factors that may predispose the individual to psychopathology. 6 Longitudinal 9 and cross-sectional evidence [10][11][12] suggests that open and respectful communication between parents and their adolescent offspring reduces the risk common mental health problems. Furthermore, influential developmental models of anxiety and depression implicitly implicate communication.…”