ArticleBMC psychology2025
Longitudinal effects of school boarding on adolescent depression: examining the mediating role of parent-child closeness and school connectedness.
Article in BMC psychology, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.
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Who cites it
3 citing papers in PubMed.
- Grade-specific associations between insomnia and depressive symptoms in adolescents: a cross-lagged panel network analysis.Child and adolescent psychiatry and mental health · 2026Article
- Teacher-student relationships and social support as drivers of learning and behaviour in Malaysian gifted students.BMC psychology · 2026Article
- Association Between Internet Addiction and Comorbid Anxiety and Depression in Chinese Children and Adolescents: A Latent Profile Analysis and Network Analysis.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
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Authors and funding
2 authors.
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Abstract
background and purposeAdolescence is a critical period of heightened vulnerability to depression, during which environmental contexts-particularly boarding schools-may significantly influence mental health through altered family and school relationships. Despite the widespread prevalence of boarding schools globally, their longitudinal impact on adolescent depression remains understudied. This study examines the longitudinal impact of early adolescent boarding on depressive symptoms, testing whether diminished parent-child closeness or school connectedness mediates this association.
methodsUsing longitudinal data from a nationally representative sample of 9,324 Chinese 7th graders (30.3% boarders), we employed propensity score matching to control for pre-existing differences between boarding and non-boarding students across individual, familial, and institutional factors. Depressive symptoms, parent-child closeness, and school connectedness were assessed at baseline and one-year follow-up. Mediation analyses tested the indirect effects of boarding via these relational pathways.
resultsBoarding predicted increased depressive symptoms at follow-up (β = 0.28, p < .05), with effects robust across matching specifications. School connectedness mediated 24% of this association (indirect effect: β=-0.08, 95% CI [-0.15, -0.00]), whereas parent-child closeness showed no significant mediation. DISCUSSION: Results suggest that boarding exacerbates depression risk primarily by undermining school belonging rather than familial bonds, aligning with Stage-Environment Fit Theory's emphasis on alignment with developmental needs. These findings underscore the critical role of school connectedness in adolescent mental health. Priorities should be given to interventions enhancing school connectedness through mentorship, peer support, and autonomy-supportive structures.
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