Impact of childhood psychological abuse on the trajectory of adolescent depressive symptoms: a latent growth modeling approach

BMC Psychiatry. 2025 Apr 27;25(1):421. doi: 10.1186/s12888-025-06884-3.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Although researchers have examined the impact of childhood psychological abuse on adolescent depressive symptoms, further investigation is needed to understand the mechanisms by which childhood psychological abuse influences these symptoms.

METHODS: Utilizing a latent variable growth model, this study analyzed the dynamic trajectories of depressive symptoms among 1,300 adolescents from four middle schools in Jiangsu Province and Sichuan Province, as well as the factors influencing these trajectories. A longitudinal survey was conducted with three rounds of questionnaires over the course of a semester. Data analysis was performed using SPSS 24.0 and Mplus 7.0.

RESULTS: The findings revealed several key points: (1) Depressive symptoms among adolescents generally showed a linear decline; however, there were significant individual differences in initial symptom levels and rates of change; (2) Childhood psychological abuse was found to significantly predict both initial levels and the pace of change in depressive symptoms; (3) All three dimensions of childhood psychological abuse-verbal aggression, threats, and intrusiveness-significantly influenced both initial symptom levels and the trajectory of change; (4) The dynamics of psychological abuse were significantly correlated with the rate of change in depressive symptoms.

CONCLUSION: The results highlight the detrimental effects of childhood psychological abuse and suggest the feasibility of interventions targeting early secondary school students, providing insights into strategies to mitigate the impact of depressive symptoms among adolescents.

PMID:40287674 | DOI:10.1186/s12888-025-06884-3