This longitudinal study tested two sequential mediation models linking childhood trauma to depression in 1,798 Chinese university students, examining whether cognitive vulnerability precedes perceived stress (Model 1) or vice versa (Model 2), with a 5-week follow-up reassessment of perceived stress and depression.
Both models fit the data, but the dominant pathway differed: in Model 1 (cognitive vulnerability → perceived stress), the sequence childhood trauma → cognitive vulnerability → perceived stress → depression accounted for 55.49% of the total indirect effect; in Model 2, childhood trauma → perceived stress → depression dominated at 88.99%. Longitudinal data confirmed short-term stability of both models. At baseline, 30.20% of participants exceeded the depression cut-off, rising to 36.82% at 5-week follow-up.
- Sample was limited to Chinese university students, restricting generalizability to other populations and age groups. - The 5-week follow-up is very short; longer-term stability of these pathways is unknown. - Childhood trauma was assessed retrospectively, introducing potential recall bias.
Clinicians treating depression in adults with a history of childhood trauma should prioritize targeting cognitive vulnerability (negative cognitive style), as it appears to amplify perceived stress and downstream depression risk. Cognitive interventions addressing maladaptive thinking patterns may interrupt this pathway before stress reactivity escalates.
Explore related topics
