To be Shy or avoidant? Exploring the longitudinal association between attachment and depressive symptoms among left-behind adolescents in rural China

Abstract

Based on a socio-ecological framework, the current study investigates the longitudinal association between attachment and depressive symptoms among left-behind adolescents in rural China. Furthermore, this study examines whether this association is moderated by the profiles combining patterns of the behavioral inhibition system (BIS) and the behavioral activation system (BAS). In total, 198 left-behind adolescents (61.1% girls) were involved in an ongoing longitudinal study. At Time 1 (Mage = 14.97), adolescents completed self-report measures of parent and peer attachment, BIS, BAS, and depressive symptoms. At Time 2 (conducted one year later), adolescents again reported on their depressive symptoms. A latent profile analysis revealed four BIS and BAS profiles (sociable adolescents [n = 69], unsociable adolescents [n = 19], avoidant adolescents [n = 76], and shy adolescents [n = 34]). Moreover, linear regression analysis revealed that attachment contributes to buffering left-behind youths’ depressive symptoms. However, the negative association between attachment and depressive symptoms was only significant in shy adolescents (i.e., high on both BIS and BAS). The current findings suggest that the interaction between attachment and the two neurologically based motivational systems (i.e., BIS and BAS) can protect left-behind adolescents from psychological distress.