Impact of cumulative family risk on depressive symptoms: mediated by perceived stress and moderated by growth mindset among Chinese adolescents

Integrating the theoretical framework of the Stress and Coping Theory, this study investigated the impact of cumulative family risk (CFR) on adolescent depressive symptoms, investigating perceived stress as a mediator and a growth mindset as a moderator. Conducted with 726 junior high students (51.9% girls, 13.83 ± 0.92 years), the research found that perceived stress acted as a partial mediator between CFR and depressive symptoms, with CFR still showing a significant direct effect on depressive symptoms. Additionally, results showed that the interaction between a growth mindset and CFR significantly impacts perceived stress, indicating that while a growth mindset facilitates stress management, its effectiveness is diminished in the presence of high family risks. Conversely, the interplay of perceived stress and a growth mindset was found to negatively correlate with depressive symptoms, thereby acting as a robust protective factor. These findings highlight the nuanced capacity of a growth mindset to offer limited buffering against the adverse effects of high-risk family environments and to provide a stronger defense against depressive symptoms by altering stress perception.