Advertisement

The promotive effects of peer support and active coping in relation to negative life events and depression in Chinese adolescents at boarding schools

  • Jia-Lin Gao
  • Li-Hui Wang
  • Xue-Qin Yin
  • Hsing-Fang Hsieh
  • Detlef H. Rost
  • Marc A. Zimmerman
  • Jin-Liang WangEmail author
Article
First Online:
  • 7 Downloads

Abstract

Mental health issues among Chinese adolescents in boarding schools have attracted the attention of researchers in recent years. Our study was to examine the relationship between negative life events and depression experienced by Chinese adolescents at boarding schools, and to study whether peer support and active coping would moderate the relationship between negative life events and depression. Questionnaires were administered in 2015 to a sample of 521 boarding school students (51.1% females) in two counties in Jiangxi Province, central China. The mean age of the sample was 13.47 years (SD = 1.04). The Adolescent Negative Life Event Scale, Peer Support Scale, Simple Active Coping Style Scale, and Children Depression Scale were used for data collection. Latent moderation structural equation (LMS) method was used to test the moderating effect of peer support and active coping on depression. Negative life events were related with more depression among boarding school students. Peer support had a negative effect on depression and active coping moderated the association between negative life events and depression. Peer support and active coping are important to relieve the adverse consequences of negative life events among boarding school students. School mental health practice that focuses on these factors may be helpful for boarding school students.

Keywords

Negative life events Depression Peer support Active coping 
This is a preview of subscription content, log in to check access.

Notes

Funding

This work was supported by the Key Cultivating Project in Southwest University [grant number is SWU1809006].

Compliance with Ethical Standards

Conflict of Interest

All the authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Ethical Approval

All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards. The study had been approved by the ethical review board of the School of Psychology, Southwest University.

Informed Consent

Oral informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in this study.

References

  1. Atri, A., & Sharma, M. (2006). Designing a mental health education program for South Asian international students in United States. Californian Journal of Health Promotion, 4(3), 135–145.Google Scholar
  2. Ayers, T. S., Sandler, I. N., & Twohey, J. L. (1998). Conceptualization and measurement of coping in children and adolescents. Advances in Clinical Child Psychology, 20, 243–301.Google Scholar
  3. Brailovskaia, J., Schönfeld, P., Zhang, X. C., Bieda, A., Kochetkov, Y., & Margraf, J. (2018). A cross-cultural study in Germany, Russia, and China: Are resilient and social supported students protected against depression, anxiety, and stress? Psychological Reports, 121(2), 265–281.PubMedGoogle Scholar
  4. Budge, S. L., Adelson, J. L., & Howard, K. A. S. (2013). Anxiety and depression in transgender individuals: The roles of transition status, loss, social support, and coping. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 81(3), 545–557.PubMedGoogle Scholar
  5. Byrne, B. M. (2013). Structural equation modeling with EQS: Basic concepts, applications, and programming. New York: Routledge.Google Scholar
  6. Chang, C. W., Yuan, R., & Chen, J. K. (2018). Social support and depression among Chinese adolescents: The mediating roles of self-esteem and self-efficacy. Children and Youth Services Review, 88, 128–134.Google Scholar
  7. Chen, W., Zhang, D., Pan, Y., Hu, T., Liu, G., & Luo, S. (2017). Perceived social support and self-esteem as mediators of the relationship between parental attachment and life satisfaction among Chinese adolescents. Personality and Individual Differences, 108, 98–102.Google Scholar
  8. Cohen, S., & Wills, T. A. (1985). Stress, social support, and the buffering hypothesis. Psychological Bulletin, 98(2), 310–357.PubMedGoogle Scholar
  9. Compas, B. E., Desjardins, L., Vannatta, K., Young-saleme, T., Rodriguez, E. M., Dunn, M., et al. (2014). Children and adolescents coping with Cancer: Self- and parent-reports of coping and anxiety/depression Bruce. Health Psychology, 33(8), 853–861.PubMedPubMedCentralGoogle Scholar
  10. Coyle, L. D., & Vera, E. M. (2013). Uncontrollable stress, coping, and subjective well-being in urban adolescents. Journal of Youth Studies, 16(3), 391–403.Google Scholar
  11. Fendrich, M., Weissman, M. M., & Warner, V. (1990). Screening for depressive disorder in children and adolescents: Validating the center for epidemiologic studies depression scale for children. American Journal of Epidemiology, 131(3), 538–551.PubMedGoogle Scholar
  12. Fergus, S., & Zimmerman, M. A. (2005). Adolescent resilience: A framework for understanding healthy development in the face of risk. Annual Review of Public Health, 26(1), 399–419.PubMedGoogle Scholar
  13. Flouri, E., & Mavroveli, S. (2013). Adverse life events and emotional and behavioural problems in adolescence: The role of coping and emotion regulation. Stress and Health, 29(5), 360–368.PubMedGoogle Scholar
  14. Glavak-Tkalić, R., & Kukolja-Cicmanović, R. (2014). Effects of perceived parental acceptance–rejection and interpersonal power–prestige on the psychological adjustment of Croatian adolescents. Cross-Cultural Research, 48(3), 231–239.Google Scholar
  15. Guo, Q. (2014). On the balanced development of compulsory education and construction of rural boarding schools. Education & Economy, 4, 36–43.Google Scholar
  16. Herman-Stabl, M. A., Stemmler, M., & Petersen, A. C. (1995). Approach and avoidant coping: Implications for adolescent mental health. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 24(6), 649–665.Google Scholar
  17. Hogendoorn, S. M., Prins, P. J. M., Boer, F., Vervoort, L., Wolters, L. H., Moorlag, H., et al. (2014). Mediators of cognitive behavioral therapy for anxiety- disordered children and adolescents: Cognition, perceived control, and coping. Journal of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology, 43(3), 486–500.PubMedGoogle Scholar
  18. Huang, Z. H., Tao, F. B., Hao, J. H., Yang, L., Cheng, D. J., & Xiao, L. M. (2009). 'Life satisfaction' as a moderator or mediator of accommodation category and loneliness for rural school students. Chinese Journal of Epidemiology, 30(3), 222–226.PubMedGoogle Scholar
  19. Hurd, N. M., Stoddard, S. A., & Zimmerman, M. A. (2013). Neighborhoods, social support, and African American adolescents’ mental health outcomes: A multilevel path analysis. Child Development, 84(3), 858–874.PubMedGoogle Scholar
  20. Johnson, D. P., Whisman, M. A., Corley, R. P., Hewitt, J. K., & Rhee, S. H. (2012). Association between depressive symptoms and negative dependent life events from late childhood to adolescence. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 40(8), 1385–1400.PubMedPubMedCentralGoogle Scholar
  21. Kapikiran, Ş. (2013). Loneliness and life satisfaction in Turkish early adolescents: The mediating role of self esteem and social support. Social Indicators Research, 111(2), 617–632.Google Scholar
  22. Kong, F., & You, X. (2013). Loneliness and self-esteem as mediators between social support and life satisfaction in late adolescence. Social Indicators Research, 110(1), 271–279.Google Scholar
  23. Kumpulainen, K., Theron, L., Kahl, C., Bezuidenhout, C., Mikkola, A., Salmi, S., et al. (2016). Children’s positive adjustment to first grade in risk-filled communities: A case study of the role of school ecologies in South Africa and Finland. School Psychology International, 37(2), 121–139.Google Scholar
  24. Kuo, B. C. H., Soucie, K. M., Huang, S., & Laith, R. (2018). The mediating role of cultural coping behaviours on the relationships between academic stress and positive psychosocial well-being outcomes. International Journal of Psychology, 53, 27–36.PubMedGoogle Scholar
  25. Lazarus, R. S., & Folkman, S. (1984). Stress, appraisal, and coping. New York: Springer.Google Scholar
  26. Lewis, K. M., Byrd, D. A., & Ollendick, T. H. (2012). Anxiety symptoms in African-American and Caucasian youth: Relations to negative life events, social support, and coping. Journal of Anxiety Disorders, 26(1), 32–39.PubMedGoogle Scholar
  27. Li, C. N., Zou, H., & Yang, X. L. (2005). Relationship between five-factor personality, teacher-student relations, and mental health of adolescents. Chinese Journal of Clinical Psychology, 13(4), 440–442.Google Scholar
  28. Liebenberg, L., Theron, L., Sanders, J., Munford, R., van Rensburg, A., Rothmann, S., et al. (2016). Bolstering resilience through teacher-student interaction: Lessons for school psychologists. School Psychology International, 37(2), 140–154.Google Scholar
  29. Lin, X. Y., Fang, X. Y., Liu, Y., & Lan, J. (2009). The effect mechanism of stigma perfection on mental health among migrant children in Beijing. Acta Psychologica Sinica, 41(10), 967–979.Google Scholar
  30. Liu, X. C., & Liu, L. Q. (1997). Adolescent life events scale of validity and reliability test. Shandong Archires of Psychiatry, 10, 15–19.Google Scholar
  31. Liu, X., Lin, X., Xu, S., Olson, S. L., Li, Y., & Du, H. (2017). Depressive symptoms among children with odd: Contributions of parent and child risk factors in a chinese sample. Journal of Child and Family Studies, 26(11), 3145–3155.Google Scholar
  32. Ma, T. L., Chow, C. M., & Chen, W. T. (2018). The moderation of culturally normative coping strategies on Taiwanese adolescent peer victimization and psychological distress. Journal of School Psychology, 70, 89–104.PubMedGoogle Scholar
  33. Maccann, C., Lipnevich, A. A., Burrus, J., & Roberts, R. D. (2012). The best years of our lives? Coping with stress predicts school grades, life satisfaction, and feelings about high school. Learning and Individual Differences, 22(2), 235–241.Google Scholar
  34. Marini, Z. A., Dane, A. V., Bosacki, S. L., & YLC-, C. U. R. A. (2006). Direct and indirect bully-victims: Differential psychosocial risk factors associated with adolescents involved in bullying and victimization. Aggressive Behavior, 32(6), 551–569.Google Scholar
  35. Matsunaga, M. (2008). Item parceling in structural equation modeling: A primer. Communication Methods and Measures, 2(4), 260–293.Google Scholar
  36. McCarty, C. A., Stoep, A. V., Kuo, E. S., & McCauley, E. (2006). Depressive symptoms among delinquent youth: Testing models of association with stress and support. Journal of Psychopathology and Behavioral Assessment, 28(2), 85–93.PubMedPubMedCentralGoogle Scholar
  37. McMahon, E. M., Corcora, P., Mcauliffe, C., Keeley, H., Perry, I. J., & Arensman, E. (2013). Mediating effects of coping style on associations between mental health factors and self-harm among adolescents. Crisis, 34(4), 242–250.PubMedGoogle Scholar
  38. Miloseva, L., Vukosavljevic-Gvozden, T., Richter, K., Milosev, V., & Niklewski, G. (2017). Perceived social support as a moderator between negative life events and depression in adolescence: Implications for prediction and targeted prevention. The EPMA Journal, 8(3), 237–245.PubMedPubMedCentralGoogle Scholar
  39. Murberg, T. A., & Bru, E. (2004). Social support, negative life events and emotional problems among norwegian adolescents. School Psychology International, 25(4), 387–403.Google Scholar
  40. Nishikawa, S., Fujisawa, T. X., Kojima, M., & Tomoda, A. (2018). Type and timing of negative life events are associated with adolescent depression. Frontiers in Psychiatry, 9, 1–10.Google Scholar
  41. Panayiotou, G., & Karekla, M. (2013). Perceived social support helps, but does not buffer the negative impact of anxiety disorders on quality of life and perceived stress. Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology, 48(2), 283–294.PubMedGoogle Scholar
  42. Pearlin, L. I., Lieberman, M. A., Menaghan, E. G., & Mullan, J. T. (1981). The stress process. Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 22(4), 337–356.PubMedGoogle Scholar
  43. Qiao, S., Li, X., Zhao, G., Zhao, J., & Stanton, B. (2014). The role of perceived social support in loneliness and self-esteem among children affected by HIV/AIDS: A longitudinal multilevel analysis in rural China. AIDS, 28, S369–S377.PubMedPubMedCentralGoogle Scholar
  44. Rodriguez, E. M., Donenberg, G. R., Emerson, E., Wilson, H. W., Brown, L. K., & Houck, C. (2014). Family environment, coping, and mental health in adolescents attending therapeutic day schools. Journal of Adolescence, 37(7), 1133–1142.PubMedPubMedCentralGoogle Scholar
  45. Rusli, B. N., Edimansyah, B. A., & Naing, L. (2008). Working conditions, self-perceived stress, anxiety, depression and quality of life: A structural equation modeling approach. BMC Public Health.  https://doi.org/10.1186/1471-2458-8-48.
  46. Ruttle, P. L., Armstrong, J. M., Klein, M. H., & Essex, M. J. (2014). Adolescent internalizing symptoms and negative life events: The sensitizing effects of earlier life stress and cortisol. Development and Psychopathology, 26, 1411–1422.PubMedGoogle Scholar
  47. Salisbury, W. D., Chin, W. W., Gopal, A., & Newsted, P. R. (2002). Research report: Better theory through measurement - developing a scale to capture consensus on appropriation. Information Systems Research, 13(1), 91–103.Google Scholar
  48. Santiago, C. D. C., Brewer, S. K., Fuller, A. K., Torres, S. A., Papadakis, J. L., & Ros, A. M. (2017). Stress, coping, and mood among latino adolescents: A daily diary study. Journal of Research on Adolescence, 27(3), 566–580.PubMedGoogle Scholar
  49. Simpson, D., Suarez, L., Cox, L., & Connolly, S. (2018). The role of coping strategies in understanding the relationship between parental support and psychological outcomes in anxious youth. Child and Adolescent Social Work Journal, 35(4), 407–421.Google Scholar
  50. Sontag, L. M., & Graber, J. A. (2010). Coping with perceived peer stress: Gender-specific and common pathways to symptoms of psychopathology. Developmental Psychology, 46(6), 1605–1620.PubMedGoogle Scholar
  51. Steinhausen, H. C., Haslimeier, C., & Metzke, C. W. (2007). Psychosocial factors in adolescent and young adult self-reported depressive symptoms: Causal or correlational associations? Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 36(1), 89–100.Google Scholar
  52. Stikkelbroek, Y., Bodden, D. H. M., Kleinjan, M., Reijnders, M., & Van Baar, A. L. (2016). Adolescent depression and negative life events, the mediating role of cognitive emotion regulation. Plos One, 11(8), 1–16.Google Scholar
  53. Tanigawa, D., Furlong, M. J., Felix, E. D., & Sharkey, J. D. (2011). The protective role of perceived social support against the manifestation of depressive symptoms in peer victims. Journal of School Violence, 10(4), 393–412.Google Scholar
  54. The Ministry of Education. (2016). The Ministry of Education responses to No. 7787 proposition of the 12th National Session of the NPC. Retrieved December 2, 2018, from http://www.moe.gov.cn/jyb_xxgk/xxgk_jyta/jyta_ddb/201610/t20161019_285635.html.
  55. Theron, L. C. (2016). The everyday ways that school ecologies facilitate resilience: Implications for school psychologists. School Psychology International, 37(2), 87–103.Google Scholar
  56. Valiente, C., Lemery-Chalfant, K., & Swanson, J. (2009). Children’s responses to daily social stressors: Relations with parenting, children’s effortful control, and adjustment. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, and Allied Disciplines, 50(6), 707–717.PubMedGoogle Scholar
  57. Wang, X. D., Wang, X. L., & Ma, H. (1999). Rating scales for mental health. Beijing: Chinese Mental Health Journal Press.Google Scholar
  58. Warren, J. S., Jackson, Y., & Sifers, S. K. (2009). Social support provisions as differential predictors of adaptive outcomes in young adolescents. Journal of Community Psychology, 37(1), 106–121.Google Scholar
  59. Way, N., & Robinson, M. G. (2003). A longitudinal study of the effects of family, friends, and school experiences on the psychological adjustment of ethnic minority, low-SES adolescents. Journal of Adolescent Research, 18(4), 324–346.Google Scholar
  60. Wong, D. F. K., Chang, Y., He, X., & Wu, Q. (2010). The protective functions of relationships, social support and self-esteem in the life satisfaction of children of migrant workers in Shanghai, China. International Journal of Social Psychiatry, 56(2), 143–157.PubMedGoogle Scholar
  61. Xie, Y. N. (1998). Preliminary research for reliability and validity of simple copy style scale. Chinese Journal of Clinical Psychology, 6, 114–115.Google Scholar
  62. Yin, X. Q., Wang, L. H., Zhang, G. D., Liang, X. B., Li, J., Zimmerman, M. A., & Wang, J. L. (2017). The promotive effects of peer support and active coping on the relationship between bullying victimization and depression among Chinese boarding students. Psychiatry Research, 256(2), 59–65.PubMedGoogle Scholar
  63. Young, D., & Limbers, C. A. (2017). Avoidant coping moderates the relationship between stress and depressive emotional eating in adolescents. Eating and Weight Disorders, 22(4), 683–691.PubMedGoogle Scholar
  64. Zhang, B., Jiang, H. B., Chen, G., Wang, Y. F., & Qiu, Z. Y. (2018). Coping styles as a mediator between perfectionism and depression in Chinese college students. Chinese Journal of Clinical Psychology, 26(3), 599–603.Google Scholar
  65. Zhao, Y., & Zhao, G. (2015). Emotion regulation and depressive symptoms: Examining the mediation effects of school connectedness in Chinese late adolescents. Journal of Adolescence, 40, 14–23.PubMedGoogle Scholar
  66. Zhao, J., Song, F., Chen, Q., Li, M., Wang, Y., & Kong, F. (2018). Linking shyness to loneliness in Chinese adolescents: The mediating role of core self-evaluation and social support. Personality and Individual Differences, 125, 140–144.Google Scholar
  67. Zimmerman, M., & Brenner, A. (2010). Resilience in adolescence: Overcoming neighborhood disadvantage. New York: Guilford Press.Google Scholar
  68. Zimmerman, M. A., Stoddard, S. A., Eisman, A. B., Caldwell, C. H., Aiyer, S. M., & Miller, A. (2013). Adolescent resilience: Promotive factors that inform prevention. Child Development Perspectives, 7(4), 215–220.Google Scholar
  69. Zou, P., Sun, L., Yang, W., Zeng, Y., Chen, Q., Yang, H., et al. (2018). Associations between negative life events and anxiety, depressive, and stress symptoms: A cross-sectional study among Chinese male senior college students. Psychiatry Research, 270, 26–33.PubMedGoogle Scholar

Copyright information

© Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature 2019

Authors and Affiliations

  • Jia-Lin Gao
    • 1
  • Li-Hui Wang
    • 1
  • Xue-Qin Yin
    • 1
  • Hsing-Fang Hsieh
    • 2
  • Detlef H. Rost
    • 1
    • 3
  • Marc A. Zimmerman
    • 2
  • Jin-Liang Wang
    • 1
    Email author
  1. 1.Center for Mental Health Education, School of PsychologySouthwest UniversityChongqingChina
  2. 2.Department of Health Behavior and Health Education, School of Public HealthMichigan UniversityAnn ArborUSA
  3. 3.Department of PsychologyMarburg UniversityMarburgGermany

Personalised recommendations

Cite article

Buy options