The Interaction Between Peer Social Support and Stressors Predicts Somatic and Psychological Depressive Symptoms in Chinese Adolescents Adolescents' Depressive Symptoms

The major goal of this study was to investigate the diathesis-stress model in predicting depressive symptoms in Chinese high school students. A total of 613 students from a community-based sample of two high schools completed self-report measures of social support, depressive symptoms, and daily stressors. Over a period of 12 months, the students reported on social support from parents and peers, somatic and psychological depressive symptoms, and the occurrence of daily stressors on five occasions, 3 months apart. The results revealed neither a main effect of parental or peer support nor a significant daily stressor x parent support interaction effect. Nevertheless, a statistically significant daily stressors x peer support effect was revealed in the prediction of both somatic symptoms and psychological symptoms. These findings suggested that low levels of peer support (but not parent support) among Chinese high school students act as a diathesis with respect to the development of both somatic symptoms and psychological symptoms of depression in the face of high frequencies of daily stressors.