How beliefs about adversity predict depression among Chinese rural left-behind adolescents: The roles of self-esteem and stressful life events

Adolescents who experience adversity, such as Chinese left-behind adolescents, are more likely to suffer from depression. Previous research has shown that positive beliefs about adversity could protect against depression, but little is known about the underlying mechanisms yet. To address this gap, the current study aimed to examine the mediating role of self-esteem and the moderating role of stressful life events in the relationship between beliefs about adversity and depression among left-behind adolescents. 534 Chinese left-behind adolescents (278 girls) completed self-report surveys addressing beliefs about adversity, self-esteem, depression, and stressful life events. The results showed that self-esteem fully mediated the relationship between beliefs about adversity and depression among left-behind adolescents. Moreover, stressful life events significantly moderated this mediation. Specifically, the indirect association between beliefs about adversity and depression via self-esteem was only significant in low-level stressful life events conditions but not in high conditions. Future interventions can be enhanced by promoting self-esteem and focusing on support through stressful life events.