Understanding depression in female adolescents: Correlations between interpersonal trust, self-esteem, and interpersonal attributional style

Abstract

AbstractThis study examines sociocognitive factors causing depressed mood in hospitalized female adolescents with depression and the correlations between interpersonal trust, self-esteem, and interpersonal attributional style. From June 2021 to October 2022, a total of 166 hospitalized female adolescents with depression who met the inclusion criteria were recruited from Hangzhou Seventh People’s Hospital. They provided demographic information and were evaluated for depressed mood, interpersonal trust, self-esteem, and interpersonal attributional style using the Chinese versions of the Children’s Depression Inventory, Interpersonal Trust Scale, Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale, and Multidimensional–Multiattributional Causality Scale, respectively. Interpersonal trust and self-esteem were negatively correlated with depressed mood, whereas internal and external attributions of interpersonal attributional style were significantly and positively correlated with depressed mood. Interpersonal trust was significantly and positively correlated with self-esteem, and interpersonal trust and self-esteem were negatively correlated with interpersonal attributional style. An analysis of the theoretical model for interpersonal trust–self-esteem– interpersonal attributional style–depressed mood relationships revealed that the model had a good fit and the overall fit indicators met the statistical requirements. The results of the path coefficient analysis indicated that all path coefficients reached statistically significant levels, except for those from interpersonal trust to depressed mood. Therefore, self-esteem mediates the effects of interpersonal trust and interpersonal attributional style on depression and is a critical sociocognitive factor affecting female adolescents with depression. Accordingly, psychological interventions for female adolescents with depression should focus on improving self-esteem.