Bullying and sleep disturbance are mediators between childhood maltreatment and depressive symptoms

The relationship between childhood maltreatment and adolescent depression has been recognized; however the indirect mechanisms linking them remain understudied. This study aims to explore whether peer bullying and sleep disturbance mediate this process based on the theory of latent vulnerability. We measured childhood maltreatment, peer bullying victimization, sleep disturbance, and depressive symptoms of secondary students using self-report questionnaires in three schools in Anhui Province, China, in November 2020. After analyzing the characteristics of 5724 youths with an average age of 13.5 years, we found that depressive symptoms were common among secondary school students (53.0%), and peer bullying, as well as sleep disturbance, partially mediated the effect of depressive symptoms on childhood maltreatment. Targeted interventions such as identifying and preventing childhood maltreatment, conveying anti-bullying messages, and ensuring sufficient sleep will help protect adolescents from depression.