Does Social Support Mediate the Association Between Maltreatment Experiences and Depressive Symptoms in Adolescence

Abstract

The current study examined social support as a mediator between maltreatment experiences (number of victimizations, maltreatment types) and depressive symptoms in adolescence. The data came from the first two time points of a longitudinal study of the effects of maltreatment on adolescent development. The enrolled sample were 454 male and females ( n = 303 maltreated, n = 151 comparison) between 9 and 13 years ( M age = 10.82); Time 2 (T2) occurred approximately 1 year after baseline. Maltreatment data came from case records; participants reported on perceived social support and depressive symptoms. Results from path models indicated that depressive symptoms mediated the association between maltreatment experiences (i.e., physical abuse, neglect, and number of maltreatment victimizations) and family social support. There was no evidence that social support functioned as a mediator. This is the first study to find support for depressive symptoms as a mechanism linking maltreatment with decreased perceived family support. These findings point to the importance of assessing mental health and social support simultaneously to understand the functioning of youth with maltreatment histories.