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ERIC Number: EJ1476699
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2025-Jun
Pages: 12
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1866-2625
EISSN: EISSN-1866-2633
Available Date: 2024-11-24
Longitudinal Associations between Multiple-Attachment Relationships and Depression in Chinese Left-Behind Children: The Mediating Role of Self-Compassion
Deqin Tan1; Ruibo Xie1; Shengcheng Song1; Wan Ding1
School Mental Health, v17 n2 p423-434 2025
Depression is highly prevalent among left-behind children (LBC) in China. Previous research has suggested that attachment relationships may be linked to depression in LBC; however, the connections between different types of attachment relationships and depression, as well as the potential mechanisms involved, remain underexplored. This study utilized a longitudinal design to investigate the associations between multiple attachment relationships and depression among LBC, focusing on the mediating role of self-compassion. A sample of 604 elementary school LBC completed a series of questionnaires assessing mother-child attachment, father-child attachment, peer attachment, teacher-student relationships, self-compassion, and depression at two time points: baseline (T1) and six months later (T2). Results indicated that, among the four types of attachment relationships, only teacher-student relationships negatively predicted depression. Self-compassion mediated the associations between multiple attachment relationships and depression, such that higher levels of multiple attachment relationships enhanced self-compassion, which subsequently reduced depressive symptoms. Furthermore, the predictive effect of the teacher-student relationship on self-compassion was more significant than that of the other three attachment relationships, which did not differ significantly in their prediction of self-compassion. These findings expand existing knowledge regarding the roles of attachment relationships and self-compassion in LBC, highlighting that self-compassion and teacher-student relationships are significant predictors of later depression in this population.
Springer. Available from: Springer Nature. One New York Plaza, Suite 4600, New York, NY 10004. Tel: 800-777-4643; Tel: 212-460-1500; Fax: 212-460-1700; e-mail: customerservice@springernature.com; Web site: https://link.springer.com/
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Elementary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: China
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: 1Parent Education Research Center, Zhejiang Normal University, Intelligent Laboratory of Child and Adolescent Mental Health and Crisis Intervention of Zhejiang Province, School of Psychology, Jinhua, China