Abstract
Although a growing body of research documents the negative association between psychological capital (PsyCap) and depression, little attention has been paid to the underlying mechanism. The aim of this study was to explore the mediating effect of positive coping, as well as the role of social support as a moderator in this relation between PsyCap and depression in a sample of Chinese adolescents. A total of 209 depressed adolescents (aged 12–17 years, M = 13.28, SD = 4.19) who were interviewed by the experienced doctor according to DSM-IV, completed questionnaires regarding PsyCap, positive coping, social support and depression. The results indicated that the effect of PsyCap on depression was mediated by positive coping only in adolescent girls. Likewise, the mediating effect of adolescent girls’ positive coping was moderated by social support. The specific link between positive coping and depression was stronger for adolescent girls with high social support than for those with low social support. This study helps to elucidate the mechanism underlying the association between PsyCap and depression among Chinese adolescents. Furthermore, when treating depression, clinicians may need to be particularly attentive to target the positive resources development.
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