Reciprocal relations between parent–adolescent closeness and adolescent depressive symptoms across the pre-to-post COVID-19 pandemic

This study examined gender-specific, process-oriented associations between parent-adolescent closeness and adolescent depressive symptoms using three-wave data from the China Family Panel Study (2018: pre-pandemic; 2020: pandemic outbreak; 2022: post-pandemic). Participants included 841 girls (Mage = 14.99 years in 2018, SD = 2.04, 87.2% Han ethnicity) and 939 boys (Mage = 14.89 years, SD = 1.99, 87.1% Han ethnicity). Bivariate latent change score models revealed that lower closeness consistently predicted subsequent greater increases in depression, regardless of the gender of parent or adolescent. However, prior higher adolescent depression predicted greater decreases in closeness only in the father-son relationship. Some of these effects were moderated by developmental age. These findings highlight the enduring protective effect of closeness and suggest a unique vulnerability in father-son relationships when boys experience depression across the pandemic period.