Childhood emotional neglect and adolescent depression: the role of self-compassion and friendship quality

Numerous studies have shown that childhood emotional neglect experiences are an important risk factor for later physical and mental health problems. However, previous studies have not fully clarified the underlying mechanisms between childhood emotional neglect and depression, especially for adolescents in vocational schools. In the present study, we examined the mediating role of self-compassion in the association between childhood emotional neglect and depression and the moderating role of friendship quality in the direct and indirect relations involved. The participants were 848 vocational school adolescents, aged 14 to 20, who completed the questionnaires about childhood emotional neglect, self-compassion, depression, and friendship quality. The results showed that self-compassion partially mediated the relationship between childhood emotional neglect and adolescent depression. Importantly, friendship quality moderated the direct link between childhood emotional neglect and depression, and the indirect link between childhood emotional neglect and self-compassion, but not the indirect link between self-compassion and depression. Especially, adolescents in vocational school with high friendship quality displayed higher levels of self-compassion and lower levels of depression after experiencing childhood emotional neglect than those with low friendship quality. These findings highlight the mechanisms underlying the relationship between childhood emotional neglect and depression in vocational school adolescents.
Author(s): Simeng Dong [sup.1] , Qinnan Dong [sup.2] , Haiyan Chen [sup.3] , Shuai Yang [sup.4] Author Affiliations: (1) https://ror.org/03dgaqz26, grid.411587.e, 0000 0001 0381 4112, School of Economics and Management, [...]