Longitudinal association between negative life events and depression among Chinese senior high school students: the mediating role of psychological inflexibility and the moderating role of meaning in life.

BACKGROUND

Negative life events are a risk factor for depression among Chinese senior high school students. Psychological inflexibility may mediate this relationship, whereas meaning in life may serve as a buffer. Prior cross-sectional studies lack temporal evidence; this two-wave 3-month time-lagged design preliminarily tests sequential moderated mediation, whereas multiwave data support stronger causal inference.

METHODS

A longitudinal survey with 3-month intervals was conducted among 940 senior high school students in Hunan Province, China. The participants completed measures assessing the Negative Life Events Scale, Psychological Inflexibility Scale, Meaning in Life Scale, and Depression Scale. A moderated mediation model was used to explore the relationships among these variables.

RESULTS

The results showed that (1) negative life events (T1) positively predicted depression (T2) [β = 0.20, SE = 0.02, p < 0.001, 95% CI (0.13, 0.28)]; (2) psychological inflexibility (T2) mediated the relationship between negative life events (T1) and depression (T2) [the indirect effect was 0.03, SE = 0.01, 95% CI (0.01, 0.05)]; and (3) meaning in life (T1) moderated both the first stage of the mediation pathway [β = -0.10, SE = 0.02, p < 0.001, 95% CI (-0.15, -0.05)] and the direct path [β = -0.11, SE = 0.02, p < 0.001, 95% CI (-0.17, -0.04)]. Specifically, higher levels of meaning in life were associated with weaker positive predictive associations between negative life events and both psychological inflexibility and depression.

CONCLUSION

These findings highlight psychological inflexibility as a mediator and meaning in life as a protective buffer against depression among Chinese senior high school students, informing prevention and intervention efforts.