Relationship between subjective socioeconomic status and depression in Chinese rural adolescents: positive youth development as a moderator

Although the connection between socioeconomic status and adolescent depression has been examined in the West, related research based on subjective socioeconomic status (SSS) and Chinese adolescents are scarce. This study aims to examine the association between SSS and adolescent depression among Chinese adolescents, as well as the moderating role of positive youth development (PYD) in this relationship. To fill this research gap, we examined this issue using cross-sectional data from 2,702 rural adolescents (aged 13 to 17, average age 14.72, SD = 1.056, 47.7% girls) from less developed regions of China. Results indicated lower SSS was significantly associated with higher levels of adolescent depression (β=-0.41, p < 0.05), and PYD qualities significantly moderated the association between SSS and depression (β = 0.60, p < 0.05), with weaker negative association between SSS and depression at higher levels of PYD qualities. The findings offer empirical evidence supporting the relationship between SSS and adolescent depression. Echoing other studies, the present findings also suggest that promotion of PYD qualities in young people may be potential useful strategy for addressing adolescent depression in rural China.