Negative trust and depression among female sex workers in Western China: The mediating role of thwarted belongingness

Female sex workers are at high risk for depression in China but they are understudied and underserved. Based on cognitive models of depression, dysfunctional beliefs about oneself and others may act as vulnerability factors for depression. However, the association between negative trust and depression is still under debate. The present study aimed to test the hypothesis that negative trust positively relates to depression through thwarted belongingness among female sex workers. Four hundred and fifty-seven participants completed measures of negative trust, thwarted belongingness, and depression. Stepwise multiple linear regression analyses showed that both negative trust and thwarted belongingness significantly positively predicted depression, and thwarted belongingness was positively predicted by negative trust. The results from the mediation analysis suggest that thwarted belongingness might be an underlying mechanism linking negative trust and depression. Psychological interventions could focus on helping female sex workers form and strengthen meaningful social connectedness (the behavioral/observable indicators of the constructs of thwarted belongingness).