Cumulative Risks and Trajectories of Psychological Maladjustment in Chinese Adolescents: The Dynamic Mediating Role of Self-Esteem.

Although family and school are the two primary developmental contexts during adolescence, little is known about how cumulative risk across these domains jointly shape adolescents' psychological maladjustment over time. To address this gap, this study examined how family cumulative risk and school cumulative risk were associated with the developmental trajectories of depressive symptoms and loneliness through the trajectory of self-worth among Chinese adolescents. Drawing on a three-wave longitudinal design, 2,096 Chinese adolescents (Mage = 15.14 years; 50.9% girls) were assessed. Latent growth modeling analyses revealed that both family cumulative risk (FCR) and school cumulative risk (SCR) were associated with higher initial levels of depressive symptoms and loneliness, and lower initial self-esteem; family cumulative risk was associated with slower increase in depressive symptoms and loneliness. Moreover, self-esteem trajectories partially mediated the relations between cumulative risk and maladjustment, with family cumulative risk showing larger direct and indirect effects. These findings provide longitudinal evidence that cumulative risk influences the development of depressive symptoms and loneliness through changes in self-esteem, advancing understanding of the developmental pathways through which multiple contextual adversities shape adolescent mental health.