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The phenomenon of familial clustering in depression is well established, yet the mechanisms by which depression is transmitted within families remain poorly understood. In the current study, we investigate the familial genetic and environmental transmission of depression by incorporating data from both adolescent twins and their parents. A total of 987 twin families were recruited from the Beijing Twin Study. Depression assessments were conducted for both adolescents and their parents. Twins' depression was assessed through reports from both the twins themselves and their parents, while parental depression was assessed by parental self‐report. We employed a nuclear twin family model to examine genetic and environmental influences on adolescent depression. Our results, based on both self‐ and parent‐report, demonstrate significant additive and dominant genetic influences on depression. We also found mild yet significant sibling environmental influences, while familial environmental influences were absent. Notably, parent‐reported depression showed higher heritability but lower unique environmental influences compared with self‐reported depression. These results highlight the important role of genetic transmission and sibling environmental transmission in explaining depression. Our study delineates the underlying mechanism of familial transmission in depression and can inform early treatments to halt transmission during adolescence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Previous studies have shown that bullying and victimization can be experienced simultaneously by an individual and can change over time. Understanding the joint longitudinal development of the two is of great significance. We conducted a 4-year longitudinal study to examine the joint developmental trajectories of bullying and victimization, gender and grade differences in trajectory group membership, and changes in specific forms of bullying and victimization (verbal, relational, and physical bullying /victimization) in each trajectory group. A total of 775 children from China participated in our study. The average age of participants at the first wave was 10.90 years (SD = 1.12), and boys accounted for 69.5% of the sample. Based on mean scores, four distinct joint developmental trajectories of bullying and victimization were found: the involvement group (both bullying and victimization increased from low to high over time, accounting for 7.6% of the total), the desisted group (both bullying and victimization decreased from high to low over time, 6.1%), the victimization group (victimization remained at a high level, whereas bullying remained at a low level for 3 years, 13.2%), and the noninvolved group (bullying and victimization remained at a stable low level, 73.1%). Boys were more likely than girls to belong to the involvement group, desisted group, and victimization group, whereas girls were more likely than boys to belong to the noninvolved group. There was no significant grade difference in the trajectory group. All forms of bullying/victimization were consistent with the overall trend and showed similar levels. These results have important implications for the prevention of and interventions for school bullying. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A brief social network intervention could effectively develop better-structure networks, create more ties, decrease lower levels of depressive symptoms among adolescents suffering from chronic major stress. • A key strength of the social network intervention was that it was successfully conducted in a challenging and stressful real-life setting for adolescents. • Social network intervention targeted and altered the microsystem of individuals rather than the individuals' behaviors and internalized problems. Therefore, the intervention tends to have better ecological validity. Friendship networks have been found to protect adolescents from depressive symptoms, yet whether adolescents' depressive symptoms can be alleviated or reduced by altering the characteristics of their friendship networks remains unknown. This study aimed to examine the effectiveness of a social network intervention among Chinese adolescents suffering from major chronic stress by evaluating the change of friendship networks and depressive symptoms. A brief social network intervention, consisting of 4 face-to-face sessions once a month lasting 90 min each, was designed to facilitate friendship network formation and to optimize peer network structures. The participants were allocated to an intervention group (n = 311) or a control group (n = 1062) and were assessed four times over six months. Latent growth curve modeling was used to examine the intervention effect on network features and depressive symptoms. Latent growth curve analyses revealed that the students in the intervention group created more ties and dissolved fewer ties during the intervention, and the steep decreases of network density and proportions of reciprocity ties were offset. The intervention group also experienced a slower increase of depressive symptoms and decrease of perceived social support during the intervention. Our findings suggested that a brief social network intervention could effectively act on depressive symptoms among adolescents suffering from chronic major stress. This study shows the potential of network-based interventions to prevent adolescents from experiencing a risk of depression in a stressful context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A growing body of research has documented that interparental conflict is associated with adolescent Internet addiction. However, little is known about the mediating and moderating mechanisms underlying this relation. Based on emotional security theory and diathesis-stress model, the present study examined whether emotional insecurity mediated the relationship between interparental conflict and adolescent Internet addiction, and whether this mediating process was moderated by big five personality traits. Our theoretical model was tested using data collected from 1189 Chinese adolescents ( M age = 14.43 years, SD = 1.41). Participants completed anonymous questionnaires assessing their perceptions of interparental conflict, emotional insecurity, big five personality traits, and Internet addiction. After controlling for demographic variables, interparental conflict was positively associated with adolescent Internet addiction. Mediation analysis indicated that emotional insecurity partially mediated the association between interparental conflict and adolescent Internet addiction. Tests of moderated mediation further revealed that the mediated path was stronger for adolescents with higher neuroticism or extraversion. Results highlight the significance of identifying the mechanisms that moderate the mediated paths between interparental conflict and adolescent Internet addiction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examined the unique associations between big five personality traits and adolescent Internet addiction (IA), as well as the mediating role of coping style underlying these relations. Our theoretical model was tested with 998 adolescents. Participants provided self-report data on demographic variables, big five personality traits, coping style, and IA. After controlling for demographic variables, it was found that agreeableness and conscientiousness were negatively associated with IA, whereas extraversion, neuroticism, and openness to experience were positively associated with IA. Mediation analyses further indicated that conscientiousness had an indirect impact on adolescent IA through decreased emotion-focused coping, whereas extraversion, neuroticism, openness to experience had indirect impacts on adolescent IA through increased emotion-focused coping. In contrast, problem-focused coping had no mediating role. These findings suggest that emotion-focused coping may, in part, account for the association between big five personality and adolescent IA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Problematic internet use (PIU) is becoming an increasingly common issues among adolescents. A number of cross-sectional studies have demonstrated that the relationships in family (i.e., parent–child relationship) and in school (i.e., teacher-student relationship) are separately associated with PIU among adolescents. However, whether the contribution of the relationship in school could above and beyond family remain unknown. Moreover, few studies have explored the potential mediating mechanisms underlying these associations with longitudinal data. The current study used a 3-year longitudinal design to test (a) the separate (i.e., interpersonal factors are examined one at a time) and unique (interpersonal factors are examined simultaneously) contributions of parent–child relationship and teacher-student relationship to adolescent PIU, and (b) whether self-esteem acts as a mediator of these links. A sample of 1,365 adolescents (M age at wave 1 = 14.68 years, SD = 1.56) from junior and senior high schools were surveyed once a year. After controlling for baseline covariates, the analyses revealed that (a) both parent–child relationship and teacher-student relationship had separate contributions to adolescent PIU two years later; however, only parent–child relationship had unique contributions to PIU; and (b) both parent–child relationship and teacher-student relationship positively predicted self-esteem one year later, which in turn negatively predicted adolescent PIU two years later. These findings underscore that PIU is embedded in family and school microsystems and shaped by dynamic cascades across interpersonal relationships and self-esteem. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Cyber victimization is a serious risk factor for the manifestation of depressive symptoms in adolescents. However, little is known about the mediating and moderating mechanisms underlying the relationship between these factors. The present study sought to determine whether psychological insecurity mediated the relationship between cyber victimization and depressive symptoms in adolescents. Additionally, this study sought to determine whether this mediating process was moderated by perceived social support. A sample of 793 Chinese adolescents (mean age = 14.41 years, SD = 1.70) completed questionnaires regarding their experience with cyber victimization, psychological insecurity, perceived social support, and depression. Results showed that (a) after controlling for demographics and traditional offline victimization, cyber victimization uniquely predicted a greater prevalence of depressive symptoms; (b) psychological insecurity partially mediated the relationship between cyber victimization and depressive symptoms in adolescents; and (c) perceived social support moderated the direct and indirect paths such that the relationship between psychological insecurity and depression was weaker for adolescents with higher levels of perceived social support (i.e., the stress-buffering effect), but the relationship between cyber victimization and psychological insecurity/depression was stronger for adolescents with higher levels of perceived social support (i.e., the reverse stress-buffering effect). This study contributes to research clarifying the mediating and moderating mechanisms involved in the development of depression among adolescents reporting cyber victimization. Highlights • Cyber victimization (CV) was positively associated with adolescent depression. • Psychological insecurity partially mediated the relation between CV and depression. • Social support moderated the direct and indirect relations between CV and depression. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Previous studies have documented that peer victimization is a significant risk factor causing Internet addiction among adolescents. However, little is known about the mediating and moderating mechanisms underlying this relation. On the basis of the emotional security theory and the resilience theory, this study examined whether psychological security would mediate the relation between peer victimization and adolescent Internet addiction, and whether teacher-student relationships would moderate the mediating process. Participants comprised 747 Chinese students (mean age = 13.73 years, SD  = 1.00) recruited from three middle schools. They provided self-reported data on demographic variables, peer victimization, psychological security, teacher-student relationship, and Internet addiction. After controlling for age, gender, parents' education, and family's financial status, mediation analysis indicated that psychological security fully mediated the association between peer victimization and adolescent Internet addiction. Moderated mediation analysis further demonstrated that positive teacher-student relationships ameliorated the adverse impact of peer victimization on psychological security, thereby mitigating the indirect effect of peer victimization on Internet addiction among adolescents. This study highlights the mediating and moderating mechanisms linking peer victimization to Internet addiction and has important implications for the prevention and intervention of Internet addiction among adolescents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A growing body of research has documented that teacher-student relationship is negatively associated with adolescent Internet addiction. However, little is known about the mediating mechanisms underlying this relation. The present study investigated whether psychological security and deviant peer affiliation mediate the link between teacher-student relationship and adolescent Internet addiction. A sample of 747 middle school students (51% male; M age = 13.73 years, SD = 1.00) completed questionnaires regarding demographics, teacher-student relationship, psychological security, deviant peer affiliation, and Internet addiction. After controlling for demographic covariates, the results revealed that: (a) teacher-student relationship was negatively associated with Internet addiction; (b) both psychological security and deviant peer affiliation partially mediated the link between teacher-student relationship and Internet addition in a parallel fashion; and (c) psychological security and deviant peer affiliation also sequentially mediated the link between teacher-student relationship and Internet addition. These findings have important implications for the prevention and intervention of adolescent Internet addiction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]