Depression is a significant concern among Chinese adolescents, with a substantial percentage diagnosed with the disorder. Low self-esteem has been identified as a potential risk factor for adolescent depression. This study aimed to explore the underlying mechanisms linking low self-esteem and depression by examining the mediating roles of hope and anxiety. The researchers hypothesized that low hope and anxiety would act as mediators, increasing the risk of depression in adolescents with low self-esteem, and that these mediating roles might differ between male and female adolescents. This builds upon previous research emphasizing the cognitive vulnerability-transactional stress theory and Bronfenbrenner's ecological systems theory, suggesting that a combination of risk factors contributes to depression development. The study also considered gender as a significant predictor of adolescent depressive symptoms, anticipating different mediating effects of hope and anxiety based on gender.

Existing research indicates a strong correlation between low self-esteem and depressive symptoms in adolescents. Longitudinal studies have established a causal link, demonstrating that low self-esteem contributes to the development of depression. However, the mechanisms underlying this relationship remain unclear. Previous studies have shown links between self-esteem and hope (high self-esteem linked to high hope), and between self-esteem and anxiety (low self-esteem linked to high anxiety). Furthermore, low hope and high anxiety are associated with increased depressive symptoms. This study aimed to bridge this gap by investigating whether hope and anxiety mediate the well-established relationship between self-esteem and depression.

This study employed a cross-sectional design. Participants consisted of 431 adolescents (aged 13-18, 52% female) from a public middle school in China. Data were collected online through questionnaires. The Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (SES) measured self-esteem, the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D) assessed depressive symptoms, the Children's Hope Scale (CHS) measured hope, and the 20-item Self-rating Anxiety Scale (SAS) measured anxiety. The study utilized structural equation modeling (SEM) to examine the mediating roles of hope and anxiety in the relationship between self-esteem and depression, separately for male and female adolescents. The model fit indices indicated a good fit between the constructed models and the empirical data for both male and female adolescents. The bootstrap method with 5000 resamples was used to assess the significance of indirect effects.

Correlation analysis revealed significant associations between gender and several variables (self-esteem, hope, anxiety, and depressive symptoms). Self-esteem showed a positive correlation with hope and negative correlations with anxiety and depressive symptoms. Hope was negatively correlated with depressive symptoms, while anxiety was positively correlated with depressive symptoms. SEM analysis showed that for female adolescents, both hope and anxiety significantly mediated the relationship between self-esteem and depressive symptoms. The indirect effects of hope and anxiety accounted for 25% and 21.88% of the total effect, respectively. For male adolescents, only anxiety significantly mediated the relationship. The indirect effect of anxiety accounted for 11.48% of the total effect. Even when hope and anxiety were included in the model, self-esteem still significantly predicted depressive symptoms in both genders.

The findings support the vulnerability model, demonstrating the significant role of self-esteem in predicting adolescent depressive symptoms. The study further reveals distinct underlying mechanisms for the relationship between self-esteem and depression in male and female adolescents. For females, both a lack of hope and increased anxiety contribute to depression in the context of low self-esteem, suggesting interventions should target bolstering both cognitive resilience and emotion regulation. For males, anxiety plays a more prominent mediating role, indicating that interventions focusing on reducing anxiety might be most beneficial. These findings suggest a need for gender-specific approaches to the prevention and treatment of adolescent depression.

This study highlights the mediating roles of hope and anxiety in the link between self-esteem and depressive symptoms among adolescents, revealing gender-specific mechanisms. Interventions should consider these gender differences, focusing on enhancing hope and managing anxiety in female adolescents and primarily targeting anxiety reduction in male adolescents. Future longitudinal studies are needed to confirm the causal nature of these relationships and to explore potential moderating factors.

The cross-sectional design limits causal inferences; longitudinal research is needed to establish causality. The convenience sample from a single public middle school may limit the generalizability of the findings. The study did not examine potential moderating variables that might influence the mediating effects of hope and anxiety.