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Abstract Background This study examines the mechanisms linking parental psychological control and depression among Chinese junior middle school students, focusing on the mediating role of psychological resilience and the moderating effect of school climate on this relationship. Method A questionnaire survey was administered to 1991 middle-school students by using a self-developed depression scale, the psychological control sub questionnaire, the Chinese version of the Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale and the perceived school climate scale. Data analysis was performed using SPSS 26 software and SPSS PROCESS 3.3, involving descriptive statistics, correlation analysis, and the test of the moderated mediation model. Results The findings indicate that (1) parental psychological control is a positive predictor of depression, and psychological resilience mediates this relationship; (2) in the mediation model involving psychological resilience, school climate moderates the latter half of the pathway and the overall mediating effect. Specifically, under a positive school climate, both the negative predictive effect of psychological resilience on depression and the indirect influence of parental psychological control on depression through psychological resilience were significantly stronger than those under a negative school climate. Conclusion Results showed that parental psychological control could have indirect effect on depression via psychological resilience with school climate as a moderator in the mediating effect. This research contributes to understanding how family and school environments, along with individual characteristics, collectively influence the mental health of junior middle school students.
Liu et al. (Thu,) studied this question.