Chain Mediating Effect of Self-control and Problem Behavior on Depression among Adolescents

Abstract Depression has become a prominent psychological problem among young people. The purpose of this study was to investigate the potential relationship between Internet addiction, family climate, academic performance, self-control, behavioral biases and depressive symptoms in adolescents. Based on the survey data of the fifth wave (2017 ~ 2018) and the sixth wave (2019 ~ 2020) of the China Family Panel Studies (CFPS), this study used LISREL8.8 software to analyze 1577 10 ~ 15 data on adolescents. In this study, selected individuals responded to the same depressive symptoms-related questions in both waves of the survey. The study found that Internet addiction had no direct effect on depressive symptoms in adolescents. Family atmosphere was negatively correlated with depressive symptoms. Academic performance was positively associated with depressive symptoms. Mediating effects found that Internet addiction, family climate, and academic performance can indirectly affect depressive symptoms through the independent mediation of behavioral deviations and the chain mediation of self-control and behavioral deviations. This study also found depressive symptoms in adolescents have a certain persistence in time. Based on this study, it is necessary to pay more attention to the depression of adolescents, strengthen the training of self-control, improve the anti-frustration ability and psychological resilience, and reduce the problem behavior of adolescents. It is recommended to try to start from emotional self-regulation to promote the personality health of adolescents.