The Relation Between The Childhood Abuse Experience And Students’ Depression:a Hybrid Model According To The Vulnerability-Stress Model

Depression has already been indicated by numerous studies. The large number of studies have confirmed that a childhood history of maltreatment is a distal risk factor for depression, although less research has examined the proximal mechanisms for this relation. To address this question, three theoretically derived mechanisms were tested as mediators according to the depression vulnerability-stress model:an insecure attachment style, a negative cognitive style, and negative life events. This study attempts to investigate the mediation of these variables, revealing how a childhood history of maltreatment effect one’s depression of early adulthood and its mechanisms, providing a reference for the development of prevention and intervention of depression.Data was obtained from College students (n=569) in Northeast China through self-report questionnaire and analyzed by SPSS20.0and Mplus7.0. The questionnaires including Childhood Trauma Questionnaire-short Form (CTQ-SF), Relationship Questionnaire (RQ), Automatic Thoughts Questionnaire (ATQ), college student life events scale (CSS-LES)-negative subscale, center for epidemiologic studies depression scale (CES-D). Scale composite reliability and confirmatory factor analysis showed that the questionnaire has good reliability and validity. These mediating processes were examined by multi-mediation, structural equation models (SEM).Across the study:1. A childhood history of physical maltreatment and adversity specifically predicted prospective elevations of depressive symptoms;2. In vulnerability factors of depression, self-model of adult attachment has played a negative role in the moderation of negative life events and depression. The depression level reported by more self-confident college students was lower than those which was reported by the less one, and these reported the same number of negative life events;3. Support was found for the proposed mediating processes. An insecure attachment style, a negative cognitive style, and negative events helped to account for the link between childhood maltreatment and later depressive symptoms in young adulthood, in which negative cognitive style was the most effectives.