Intrinsic interpersonal emotion regulation moderates longitudinal associations between peer victimization and depressive symptoms among Chinese children

The present study examined the moderating role of intrinsic interpersonal emotion regulation on the longitudinal associations between peer victimization and depressive symptoms among Chinese children. A two-wave longitudinal study spanning one year was conducted. Participants included 894 children at Time 1 (56% boys, M _age = 9.87 years) in Jinan, People’s Republic of China. Peer victimization, intrinsic interpersonal emotion regulation, and depressive symptoms were measured through self-report questionnaires. The results revealed that peer victimization was positively related to depressive symptoms one year later. More importantly, the longitudinal relationship between peer victimization and depressive symptoms were moderated by intrinsic interpersonal emotion regulation. Specifically, the longitudinal association between peer victimization and depressive symptoms became weaker among children with higher levels of intrinsic interpersonal emotion regulation. The findings highlight the protective role of intrinsic interpersonal emotion regulation in preventing victimized children from developing depressive symptoms and point out the path for improving victimized children’s mental health. Intervention programs should implement targeted strategies to provide more opportunities for victimized children to seek interpersonal interaction to regulate emotions.