Emotional neglect and depressive symptoms of left-behind adolescents: The role of friendship quality and gender

Abstract Background Emotional neglect is a risk factor for adolescents’ depression. In migrant families, long-term parent-child separation increases the possibility of left-behind adolescents experiencing emotional neglect, making it an important risk factor for the occurrence and development of depressive symptoms among left-behind adolescents. Moreover, there has been a dearth of work on protective factors against the harmful impacts of emotional neglect on left-behind adolescents’ depressive symptoms. To address this gap, the protective roles of friendship quality and gender differences were also examined. Methods A total of 1802 Chinese rural adolescents completed self-report standardized scales that measured emotional neglect, friendship quality and depressive symptoms. Results Emotional neglect was positively associated with adolescents’ depressive symptoms, but the predictive power of emotional neglect for depressive symptoms varied with left-behind status and gender. Furthermore, friendship quality was not only negatively associated with adolescents’ depressive symptoms, but also buffered the negative impact of emotional neglect on depressive symptoms among girls from both-parent migrant families. Limitations This study was limited by the cross-sectional data, the methods of self-reporting, the lack of adolescents from mother-only families, and a potential nesting structure. Conclusions These findings provide important implications for intervention programs that are targeted toward reducing the impact of emotional neglect on left-behind adolescents.