The influence of family structure on depression and anxiety symptoms in adolescents: the mediating role of emotional neglect / 中国当代儿科杂志

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVES@#To study the influence of family structure on depression and anxiety symptoms in adolescents and its mechanism.@*METHODS@#The cluster sampling method was used to select the students from seven middle schools in Shanghai, China. An online questionnaire survey was conducted using a self-made general status questionnaire, Childhood Trauma Questionnaire, Children's Depression Inventory, and Screen for Child Anxiety Related Emotional Disorders. The methods including one-way analysis of variance, chi-square test, binary logistic regression analysis, and mediating effect analysis were used to evaluate depression and anxiety symptoms in adolescents and the difference in childhood trauma and its mediating effect.@*RESULTS@#Compared with the adolescents from nuclear families, the adolescents from three-generation lineal families had a lower risk of depression symptoms (OR=0.794, 95%CI: 0.649-0.972, P<0.05), while those from host families had a higher risk of depression symptoms (OR=4.548, 95%CI: 1.113-18.580, P<0.05). The adolescents from inter-generational families and host families had a significantly higher score on the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire subscale of emotional neglect (P<0.05). Emotional neglect played a mediating role in the influence of inter-generational families and host families on depression symptoms in adolescents.@*CONCLUSIONS@#Parents and grandparents have a certain positive effect in family structures. Separation from parents may make adolescents perceive more emotional neglect, which may increase the occurrence of depression symptoms.