Association between family socioeconomic status and depressive symptoms among Chinese adolescents: Evidence from a national household survey

- Family SES is significantly associated with adolescents' mental health.
- Adolescents are more likely to have depressive symptoms when the family income decreases.
- Physical health, school performance, and self-confidence might be important moderators in the pathways of family SES affecting adolescents' mental health.

Depression is a common mental disorder due to high risk of the adolescence development stage. Few studies discussed the association between family socioeconomic status (SES) and depression and its mechanism. We aimed to provide a national view of depressive symptoms among Chinese adolescents to explore the relationship between family SES and depressive symptoms. We used the data from the Chinese Family Panel Studies (CFPS). Family SES include family income and parents' educational attainment. Depressive symptoms were measured by the Center for Epidemiological Study Depression. Family SES was found to be significantly associated with adolescents' depressive symptoms. The study indicated that adolescents were more likely to have depressive symptoms when family income decreased. Poor self-confidence, mathematics performance, and physical health were associated with high risk for depressive symptoms. The presence of these factors greatly weakened the association between family SES and depressive symptoms. Therefore, adolescents' mental health is vulnerable and connected to family SES. Physical health, school performance, and self-confidence might be important mediators in the pathways of family SES affecting depressive symptoms. Prevention and intervention programs are important and necessary to improve the mental health of Chinese adolescents, and the effect of family SES should be considered in these programs.