Marital Conflict, Family Socioeconomic Status, and Depressive Symptoms in Migrant Children: A Moderating Mediational Model

The present study examines the roles of parent-child communication and peer attachment in the relationships between marital conflict, family socioeconomic status (SES), and depressive symptoms in migrant children. The present study was a cross-sectional design. A total of 437 children were selected from 2 public schools of migrant children, and they were assessed on measures of marital conflict, family SES, parent-child communication, peer attachment, and depressive symptoms. Results showed that peer attachment moderates the relationships between marital conflict, parent-child communication, and depressive symptoms. That is, for migrant children with high peer attachment, marital conflict influences depressive symptoms directly, but also indirectly through parent-child communication. For migrant children with low peer attachment, marital conflict only exerts a direct influence on depressive symptoms. In addition, parent-child communication mediates the relationship between family SES and depressive symptoms, although the mediating effects were not significant for groups with a high or a low level of peer attachment. Thus, parent-child communication serves as one critical pathway, linking marital conflict, or family SES, with depressive symptoms. Furthermore, peer attachment acts as a buffer against the negative effects of marital conflict on depressive symptoms.