Network analysis of intergenerational associations: Parental childhood trauma, depression, anxiety, and adolescent maladaptive traits in depressed youth.

BACKGROUND

Adolescent depression, comorbid with maladaptive traits, increases the risks of suicide and psychosocial dysfunction, yet intergenerational pathways linking parental childhood trauma, depression, anxiety, and adolescent maladaptive traits remain complex and unclear. This study aimed to use network analysis to investigate these transmission mechanisms in clinically depressed adolescents.

METHODS

This study recruited 138 parent-adolescent pairs (M = 15.92, SD = 1.84 for adolescents; M = 43.65, SD = 5.37 for parents) to complete the assessment. Network analysis was applied to explore the associations between parental trauma, psychopathology, and adolescent maladaptive traits.

RESULTS

The results showed that: (1) parental childhood trauma subtypes were linked to adolescent maladaptive traits through parental depression/anxiety; (2) physical abuse and emotional neglect exhibited the highest strength centrality among parental traumas, while impulsive-need for stimulation was the most central maladaptive trait in adolescents; (3) parental depression and anxiety emerged as bridge symptoms, connecting the transmission from parental trauma to adolescent maladaptation.

LIMITATIONS

Cross-sectional design limits causal inferences.

CONCLUSIONS

These results indicated that parental psychopathology mediated intergenerational transmission, with parental physical abuse, emotional neglect and adolescent impulsivity serving as network hubs. By identifying bridge symptoms and central traits, this study provides actionable targets for breaking intergenerational dysfunction, emphasizing that clinical interventions targeting parental depression/anxiety may more effectively disrupt transmission cycles than adolescent-focused therapies.