Moderated mediation associations between interpersonal sensitivity, depression, somatization, and emotional stability in adolescents

Somatization in adolescence is a growing concern, often linked to underlying psychological factors, such as interpersonal sensitivity and depression. This study recruited 997 adolescents aged 14–18 years from Cyprus (436 males and 561 females) to investigate the moderated mediation model in which depression mediated the relationship between interpersonal sensitivity and somatization, and emotional stability was tested as a moderator of key pathways. All participants completed standardized self-report measures assessing interpersonal sensitivity, depression, somatization, and emotional stability. The moderated mediation model was analyzed using Hayes’ PROCESS macro for SPSS (Model 59). The findings indicated that emotional stability did not moderate the association between interpersonal sensitivity and depression, nor between depression and somatization. However, emotional stability moderated the association between interpersonal sensitivity and somatization, such that the association was stronger at higher levels of emotional stability. With respect to moderated mediation, comparable support was observed for the indirect effect across low, mean, and high levels of emotional stability, providing no evidence of moderated mediation. The theoretical and applied implications of these findings are discussed.