Effect of perceived school environment on adolescent depression: the moderating role of intergenerational interactions

OBJECTIVE: To examine the impact of perceived school environment on adolescent depression, and the moderating effects of intergenerational interactions. METHODS: Based on the 2018 adolescent questionnaire data from the China Family Panel Studies (CFPS), regression analysis was conducted using Stata 17.0 on a sample of 1058 individuals, focusing on depression status, perceived school environment, and intergenerational interactions. RESULTS: (1) Adolescent depression was significantly associated with lower parent-child communication (β= -0.06, p < 0.001), lower school satisfaction (β=-0.10, p < 0 0.001), higher academic pressure (β = 0.35, p < 0.001), and more frequent externalizing problem behaviors (β = 1.29, p < 0.001). (2) Intergenerational interaction played an important buffering role: behavioral evaluation negatively moderated the effect of academic pressure on depression (β = -0.05, p < 0.05), while parent-child communication negatively moderated the effect of externalizing problem behaviors on depression (β = -0.06, p < 0.01). CONCLUSION: Perceived school environment is an important factor affecting adolescent depression, and intergenerational interaction (especially behavioral evaluation and parent-child communication) can effectively buffer the negative effects of some risk factors (academic pressure, externalizing problem behaviors).