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The present study tested the mediating role of maladaptive emotion regulation and trust in parents between parent–child conflict and emerging adults' depressive symptoms. A total of 196 Chinese emerging adults at 18–25 years of age (M = 20.02; SD = 2.67; 43.88% women) completed an online self-reported questionnaire on parent–child conflict, trust in parents, emotion regulation, and depressive symptoms. Path analyses were conducted to analyze the cross-sectional data. Findings suggested that parent–child conflict was associated with greater maladaptive emotion regulation and depressive symptoms. Mother–child conflict was associated with emerging adults' lower trust in mothers. Also, trust in fathers was associated with fewer depressive symptoms. Regardless of the parents' gender, maladaptive emotion regulation and trust did not mediate the relation between parent–child conflict and depressive symptoms. Despite the null findings of the mediation processes, the study advanced our knowledge about the role of family processes in emerging adults' depressive symptoms, particularly in the Chinese context. The findings informed practitioners and researchers aiming to foster positive family functioning and reduce depressive symptoms among emerging adults. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Acculturative stress has repeatedly been shown to heighten depressive symptoms. However, the explanatory process between acculturative stress and depressive symptoms has been understudied, particularly in the Chinese context. This prospective study aims to investigate emotion regulation difficulties as a mechanism between acculturative stress and depressive symptoms. A sample of 154 Mainland Chinese female university students (Mage = 21.10; SD = 2.13) were recruited in Hong Kong 3 times, with a 4-month lag between assessment points. Mediation findings converged to suggest between-person indirect effect of acculturative stress on symptoms of depression via emotion regulation difficulties, above and beyond established mediators including self-stigma and social support. Specifically, greater acculturative stress was related to a higher level of emotion regulation difficulties. In turn, greater emotion regulation difficulties were related to a higher level of depressive symptoms. The stress-generating effect of depression via emotion regulation was not simultaneously supported. These findings are informative to researchers and practitioners aiming to alleviate depressive symptoms, particularly in the Chinese context of higher education that often involves intercultural contact and stress. Public Significance Statement: Our findings suggest that emotion regulation difficulties serve as a mechanism between acculturative stress and depressive symptoms in a sample of Mainland Chinese female university students. As such, addressing emotion regulation difficulties can alleviate the negative impact of acculturative stress on depressive symptoms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study tested a theoretical model of emotion regulation (Yap, Sheeber, & Allen, 2007) in a sample of Asian American and European American college students (N = 365). Specifically, the mediating role of anger suppression in the effect of temperament and family processes on depressive symptoms was tested across race and levels of interdependent self-construal (a culturally based self orientation emphasizing connectedness with others). Next, the moderation of the suppression-depression relation was tested by race and interdependent self-construal. Results indicated that the hypothesized model fit well across Asian American and European American students, as well as those with high versus low levels of interdependent self-construal. Anger suppression was a significant mediator of the hypothesized indirect effects on depressive symptoms. Moreover, race and interdependent self-construal moderated the suppression-depression link, such that Asian American status and a stronger interdependent self-construal attenuated the relation between anger suppression and depressive symptoms. Understanding both universal and culture-specific aspects of emotion regulation in the development of depressive symptoms will be essential for sound theory, future research, and effective prevention and intervention efforts across diverse populations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]