Gender differences in the relationships between different types of childhood trauma and resilience on depressive symptoms among Chinese adolescents

Abstract

Growing studies have paid attention to the relationships between childhood trauma, resilience and depressive symptoms. Depression is more common in girls, while gender differences in these associations have been rarely studied. Yet the study will be beneficial for prevention and intervention of depression in adolescents. The aim of this study is to examine gender differences in the effects of different types of childhood trauma and resilience on depressive symptoms. Data was collected from 6510 students (3408 males, aged 10–17 years) in Wuhan, Hubei, China from 2015 to 2016. Participants completed a self-report questionnaire assessing childhood trauma, resilience, and depressive symptoms. Multiple regression analysis was used to determine gender differences in the relationships between childhood trauma, resilience and depressive symptoms. We found that childhood trauma was positively related to depressive symptoms for both genders, but the relationship in females was stronger than in males. No significant gender difference was found in the independent effect of resilience to depressive symptoms. Resilience moderated the effects of emotional abuse, physical abuse and sexual abuse on depressive symptoms in both males and females. However, the interaction effect of resilience with emotional abuse on depressive symptoms was stronger in females compared to males. Our findings revealed gender differences in the links between childhood trauma and depressive symptoms among adolescents, and the interaction effect of resilience and childhood emotional abuse on depressive symptoms was gender-specific. These provide the basis for gender-special prevention and intervention measures for depressive symptoms in adolescents.