Childhood psychological abuse and adolescent depression following peer suicide: The mediating role of psychological trauma and gender differences
Tingting Tan^1,2,† Jiawei Zhao³  Jie Wu^1,*

1Faculty of Psychology, Tianjin Normal University, Tianjin, China, 300387
2Mental Health Education Center, Tianjin University, Tianjin, China,300072
3State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning & IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China
Corresponding author: Jie Wu. Add: No.393, Bingshui West Road, Xiqing District, Tianjin, 300387, China. Email: wujie@tjnu.edu.cn


Objectives: Adolescent depression is a critical global health issue, with childhood psychological abuse (CPA) and exposure to traumatic events, such as peer suicide, identified as major risk factors. This study aimed to examine the relationships between CPA, psychological trauma (PT), and depressive symptoms (DS), and to explore PT's mediating role in the CPA-DS relationship, with attention to gender differences. The research also extends the application of the stress-vulnerability model to this context.

Method: A total of 1,630 adolescents (822 males, 808 females; mean age = 14.38 years) who had experienced a peer suicide were assessed. Measures included the Child Psychological Maltreatment Scale, the Impact of Event Scale-Revised, and the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 to evaluate CPA, PT, and DS, respectively.

Results: Positive correlations were found between CPA, PT, and DS. PT partially mediated the association between CPA and DS, accounting for 45.19% of the total effect. Additionally, female participants reported significantly higher levels of PT and DS compared to males.

Discussion：The study found that adolescents who witnessed or heard about peer suicide reported significantly higher levels of event impact and depressive symptoms, especially if they had experienced childhood psychological abuse. Mediation analysis further revealed a unique mechanism: event influence played a significant mediating role between childhood psychological abuse and depressive symptoms, with indirect effects accounting for 45.19% of the total effect. This suggests that the impact of the sudden event is not only a direct response to subsequent traumatic events, but also a result of the interaction of earlier experiences of abuse with current stressors. The cumulative trauma effect results in higher emotional disorders and regressive tendencies in the face of campus suicide. Analysis of gender differences showed that while there were no significant differences in psychological abuse among male and female adolescents, post-traumatic events had higher levels of impact and depressive symptoms in females. This gender difference has been linked to coping and emotional regulation strategies.

Conclusion: These findings emphasize the cumulative trauma effect, suggesting that adolescents with a history of CPA are more vulnerable to emotional dysregulation and DS when exposed to traumatic events like peer suicide. The results further expand the stress-vulnerability model by illustrating the complex interplay between early adverse experiences and adolescent mental health. The study underscores the importance of implementing trauma-informed, gender-sensitive interventions following campus suicide events.
 

Adolescent, Childhood psychological abuse, Psychological trauma, Depression, Gender differences