Depressive mood in Chinese early adolescents: Relations with shyness, self-esteem and perceived social support

Introduction. While depression affects adolescents' psychological functioning and adjustment, studies of Hong Kong adolescents show that more than 20% of this population suffer from depressive symptoms. Methods. A cross-sectional study was performed to examine how depressive mood was related to shyness, self-esteem and social support in a sample of 326 early Chinese adolescents. Data were collected using self-report questionnaires. Participants completed the Children Depression Inventory (CDI), Children's Shyness Questionnaire (CSQ), Rosenberg's Self-esteem Scale and five items measuring perceived social support. Results. Based on the CDI cut-off point (≥20) adopted in the West (Kovacs), 20.9% of the sample was classified as having depressive symptoms, a percentage that was double that reported in Western studies. Regression analyses results showed that shyness predicted depressive mood in the positive direction and self-esteem and perceived social support in the negative direction. Furthermore, a mediation model was established in which the effects of shyness on depressive mood were mediated by self-esteem and social support. Discussion. Professionals should offer age-appropriate social skill training to shy adolescents who have low self-esteem and poor peer relationship. Copyright © 2012 Blackwell Publishing Asia Pty Ltd.