Association of parent-child communication frequency about school related matters with depressive symptom risk among children and adolescents in China
10.16835/j.cnki.1000-9817.2026236
- VernacularTitle:中国儿童青少年亲子学校事务沟通频率与抑郁症状风险的关联
- Author:
WANG Yiner, QIAN Jinwei, XU Hua, XU Peng, XIA Senlin
1
Author Information
1. Department of Emergency Medicine, Fifth School of Clinical Medicine, Zhejiang Chinese Medical University, Huzhou 313000, Zhejiang Province, China
- Publication Type:Journal Article
- Keywords:
Parent-child relations；Communication；Depression；Mental health；Regression analysis；Child；Adolescent
- From:
Chinese Journal of School Health
2026;47(8):1127-1131
- CountryChina
- Language:Chinese
-
Abstract:
Objective:To examine the association between parent-child communication frequency about school related matters and depressive symptom risk among children and adolescents and to characterize its dose response pattern, so as to provide a reference for family intervention and school mental health promotion.
Methods:Data were obtained from the 2022 China Family Panel Studies(CFPS), conducted from May to December 2022. A total of 1 896 children and adolescents aged 10-15 years were included. The 8 item Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D8) was adopted to assess depressive symptoms among children and adolescents. Data on the parent-child communication frequency about school related matters was obtained from CFPS Child Proxy Questionnaire. Multivariable Logistic regression, sensitivity analyses, and exploratory segmented regression were performed.
Results:A total of 375 participants were screened positive for depressive symptoms, with a prevalence of 19.8%. The prevalence decreased from 23.3% in the "never" group to 10.6% in the "very often" group ( χ 2=19.30, P <0.05). In the fully adjusted model, the point estimate for the "very often" group suggested lower odds of a positive screen ( OR =0.52), and the test for trend was statistically significant ( P =0.03). The association was more pronounced among children aged 10-12 years ( OR=0.31, 95%CI=0.11-0.86, P <0.05). Sensitivity analyses yielded directionally consistent results, but the statistical evidence was weakened ( OR=0.83, P trend =0.08). Dose response analysis showed a statistically significant overall association between parent-child communication frequency about school related matters and depressive symptom risk ( P =0.04), with no significant departure from linearity ( P = 0.14 ). Among the prespecified cut points, exploratory segmented regression showed relatively better model fit at an ordinal frequency score of 4.5, between "often" and "very often" (likelihood ratio test P =0.03). However, the overall test for nonlinearity was not statistically significant ( P =0.14), and the finding should therefore be interpreted as exploratory.
Conclusion:More frequent parent-child communication about school related matters is associated with lower depressive symptom risk, suggesting that routine communication about such matters may help reduce the risk of depressive symptoms in children and adolescents.
