Risk or refuge? The dual role of affinity for solitude and deviant peer affiliation in the link between childhood maltreatment and youth depression: a mixed-methods study

Zhaoyang Xie, Zheng Zhang, Xuting Li, Hiran Thabrew, Kaiwen Bi, Sijian Tang and Jiansong Zhou

Children and Youth Services Review, 2025, vol. 178, issue C

Abstract: The heterogeneity of child maltreatment is linked to depressive symptoms in adolescents. However, the underlying mechanisms concerning interpersonal relationships remain insufficiently explored. This study uses a mixed-methods approach to examine how interpersonal interaction patterns mediate the relationship between maltreatment and depression while exploring coping strategies in adversity through qualitative insights. A total of 2042 Chinese adolescents (Mage = 13.69 years, SD = 1.55; 53.18 % male) participated in this study in October 2023. Latent class analysis was conducted to identify profiles of childhood maltreatment. Mediation analysis examined the roles of affinity for solitude and Deviant Peer Association in linking maltreatment profiles to adolescent depressive symptoms. Thematic analysis further explored key factors that help adolescents with a history of childhood maltreatment navigate challenges. Latent class analysis identified four patterns of childhood maltreatment among Chinese adolescents: Low Maltreatment Exposure (LME; 70.57 %), High Emotional Neglect and Physical Abuse with Moderate Physical Neglect (HENPA-PN; 13.52 %), High Maltreatment Exposure (HME; 6.51 %), and High Emotional Neglect and Physical Abuse with Moderate Emotional Abuse (HENPA-EA; 9.40 %). Mediation analysis revealed that, compared to the LME group, all other groups positively influenced depressive symptoms through affinity for solitude and deviant peer association. Finally, thematic analysis identified five key themes: personal positive personality, coping lifestyle strategies, emotional support and companionship, guidance from others and the power of role modeling. It is crucial to comprehend the heterogeneity of childhood maltreatment, patterns of interpersonal relationships, and potential support networks to enhance adolescent mental health.

Keywords: Child abuse; Depressive symptoms; Affinity for solitude; Deviant peer association; Mixed-methods study (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0190740925004013
Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:cysrev:v:178:y:2025:i:c:s0190740925004013

DOI: 10.1016/j.childyouth.2025.108518

Access Statistics for this article

Children and Youth Services Review is currently edited by Duncan Lindsey

More articles in Children and Youth Services Review from Elsevier
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Catherine Liu ().