Jiang Junfeng, Zhou Fuyuan
School of Sociology, Central China Normal University, No.152 Luoyu Road, Wuhan, China.
BMC Public Health. 2025 Aug 14;25(1):2766. doi: 10.1186/s12889-025-23497-3.
Adolescent depression is a growing concern that warrants increased attention, and the peer effect based on peer networks has a fundamental influence on adolescent depression. However, little is known about the roles of self-deviant behavior and academic performance and stress in the influence of deviant peer affiliation on adolescent depression.
Based on the China Education Panel Survey data from 2013 to 2015 (n = 8311), this study explored the impact of deviant peer affiliation on adolescent depression. Additionally, it investigated the potential mediation and moderation effects of adolescent self-deviant behavior, academic performance, and academic stress.
It is found that elevated deviant peer affiliation could significantly reduce adolescent depression. This negative effect remained significant after controlling for the selection bias and homophily of peer effect. Deviant peer affiliation elevated adolescent depression mainly because it increased adolescent own deviant behavior and academic stress and decreased their academic performance. The effect of deviant peer affiliation on adolescent depression was stronger in those with more self-deviant behaviors. Moreover, a mediated moderation effect of self-deviant behavior was also observed, suggesting that elevated self-deviant behavior weakened its mediation effect in the influence of deviant peer affiliation on adolescent depression.
It is necessary to guide peer behaviors and affiliation and regulate adolescent deviant peer affiliation from a global perspective to avoid negative peer effects on adolescent depression.
青少年抑郁症日益受到关注，值得更多重视，基于同伴网络的同伴效应对青少年抑郁症有根本性影响。然而，关于自我偏差行为、学业成绩和压力在偏差同伴关系对青少年抑郁症影响中的作用，人们了解甚少。
基于2013年至2015年中国教育追踪调查数据（n = 8311），本研究探讨了偏差同伴关系对青少年抑郁症的影响。此外，还研究了青少年自我偏差行为、学业成绩和学业压力的潜在中介和调节作用。
研究发现，偏差同伴关系的增加会显著降低青少年抑郁症。在控制了同伴效应的选择偏差和同质性后，这种负面影响仍然显著。偏差同伴关系增加青少年抑郁症主要是因为它增加了青少年自身的偏差行为和学业压力，并降低了他们的学业成绩。偏差同伴关系对青少年抑郁症的影响在自我偏差行为较多的青少年中更强。此外，还观察到自我偏差行为的中介调节效应，表明自我偏差行为的增加削弱了其在偏差同伴关系对青少年抑郁症影响中的中介作用。
有必要从全局角度引导同伴行为和同伴关系，规范青少年的偏差同伴关系，以避免同伴对青少年抑郁症产生负面影响。
