Social support and depressive symptoms: the role of childhood maltreatment and brain activity in a moderated mediation model.

Qianyi Luo, Qing Xu, Liwen Zhu, Jiyun Liao, Xiaoyu Liang, Jinrou Xia, Xiaohui Lin, Hongjun Peng

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Article in Social cognitive and affective neuroscience, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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8 authors.

Qianyi LuoDepartment of Clinical Psychology, The Affiliated Brain Hospital, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou 510370, China.

Qing XuDepartment of Clinical Psychology, The Third Hospital of Longyan, Longyan 364000, China.

Liwen ZhuDepartment of Clinical Psychology, The Affiliated Brain Hospital, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou 510370, China.

Jiyun LiaoDepartment of Clinical Psychology, The Affiliated Brain Hospital, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou 510370, China.

Xiaoyu LiangDepartment of Clinical Psychology, The Affiliated Brain Hospital, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou 510370, China.

Jinrou XiaDepartment of Clinical Psychology, The Affiliated Brain Hospital, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou 510370, China.

Xiaohui LinDepartment of Clinical Psychology, The Affiliated Brain Hospital, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou 510370, China.

Hongjun PengDepartment of Clinical Psychology, The Affiliated Brain Hospital, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou 510370, China.ORCID 0000-0002-9115-7374

Funding

Guangdong Natural Science Foundation, China 2015A030313800Guangzhou Medical University Research Capacity Enhancement Program, China 2024SRP203

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Low social support, characterised by insufficient emotional, instrumental, or informational aid, increases the risk of major depressive disorder (MDD), yet its impact on brain function remains unclear. To examine this, we recruited 32 participants with MDD and low social support, 52 with high social support, and 54 healthy controls. We collected data including functional magnetic resonance imaging measures, sociodemographic information, social support dimensions, depressive symptom severity, and childhood maltreatment to investigate how social support relates to neural activity and depression severity, with childhood maltreatment as a potential moderating factor. Compared to the high social support group, participants with low social support showed decreased fractional amplitude of low-frequency fluctuation (fALFF) in the right superior temporal pole and increased fALFF in the left postcentral gyrus, along with reduced functional connectivity between the right superior temporal pole and right middle occipital gyrus. fALFF in the left postcentral gyrus correlated with physical abuse and inversely with social support. The moderated mediation model indicated that FC between the right superior temporal pole and right middle occipital gyrus mediated the relationship between perceived support and depression severity, with physical abuse moderating this effect. These findings underscore the relationship between social support, brain function, and depression severity.

Indexed as

BrainChild AbuseDepressionMajor Depressive DisorderSocial SupportAdultBrain MappingFemaleHumansMagnetic Resonance ImagingMaleMiddle AgedYoung AdultChildhood maltreatmentfractional amplitude of low-frequency fluctuationFunctional connectivityLow Social supportMajor depressive disorder

Identifiers

PMID40737483

DOI10.1093/scan/nsaf077

PMCPMC12413245

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.