The relationship between stressful childhood environments and depression for Chinese adolescents: a serial mediation model through perceived discrimination and belief in a just world

Stressful childhood environments influence mental health and well-being in adults and adolescents, but there is relatively limited evidence on how environmental unpredictability and harshness in early life are associated with adolescent depression. The current study investigated the relationship between two important dimensions of stressful childhood environment (i.e., childhood environmental unpredictability and harshness) and adolescent depression, as well as the mediating roles of perceived discrimination and belief in a just world in this relationship by a large sample survey of Chinese adolescents (N = 3,553, M_age = 13.48, SD_age = 1.01; 53.36% female). Results showed that childhood unpredictability and harshness were both positively associated with adolescent depression. The serial mediation analysis suggested that adolescents with the higher experience of stressful childhood environments perceived more discrimination, which was related to lower belief in a just world and subsequently associated with higher adolescent depression. While the girls reported higher depression than boys, the relationship between stressful childhood environments and depression did not vary between girls and boys. This study contributes to research on the relationship between stressful childhood environments and mental health outcomes for adolescents and further provides an insight into the psychological mechanism underlying this relationship.