Subjective social status via mediation of childhood parenting is associated with adulthood depression in non-clinical adult volunteers

Abstract

Subjective social status (SSS) is associated with major depression, but its association with depressive symptoms remains unknown. In this study, we hypothesized that SSS mediates the effects of the quality of parenting (care and overprotection) on self-esteem and depressive symptoms in adulthood in non-clinical self-selected adult volunteers, and this hypothesis was verified by covariance structure analysis. The following questionnaire surveys were conducted on 404 Japanese non-clinical adult volunteers: Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9), SSS, Parental Bonding Instrument (PBI), and Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (RSES). We conducted covariance structure analysis to elucidate the mediating effects of SSS on the effects of PBI on RSES and PHQ-9. In our models, self-esteem, but not the quality of parenting or SSS, directly deteriorated depressive symptoms. Poor quality of parenting in childhood indirectly exacerbated depressive symptoms through the mediating effects of SSS and self-esteem. This study showed that SSS is a mediator in the effects of the quality of parenting in childhood on adulthood depressive symptoms and self-esteem, and that self-esteem further mediates the effects of SSS. Our results may hence contribute to the elucidation of the association between SSS and depression.