The relationship between father absence and hostility among Chinese depressed youths: A serial mediation model and the role of self-esteem and frustration tolerance

Xiao-Ge Liu; Yang Li; Fang Xiong; Wen-Tian Li; Lian-Zhong Liu; Sullivan John S

doi:10.3389/fped.2022.711241

The relationship between father absence and hostility among Chinese depressed youths: A serial mediation model and the role of self-esteem and frustration tolerance

Front Pediatr. 2023 Jan 26:10:711241. doi: 10.3389/fped.2022.711241. eCollection 2022.

Authors

Xiao-Ge Liu^{1

2}, Yang Li³, Fang Xiong¹, Wen-Tian Li^{1

4}, Lian-Zhong Liu^{1

4}, Sullivan John S⁵

Affiliations

¹ Research Center for Psychological Sciences and Health, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan, China.
² Department of Student Affairs Management, Zhejiang University of Water Resources and Electric Power, Hangzhou, China.
³ Moral Education and Art Department of Henan Vocational College of Geology and Mineral Resources, Zhengzhou, China.
⁴ Department of Clinical Psychology, Affiliated Wuhan Mental Health Center, Tongji Medical College of Huazhong University of Science & Technology, Wuhan, China.
⁵ Central Clinical School, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia.

Abstract

Background: While the association between father absence and youth hostility has been well-documented among depressed youths, there is a lack of research on the potential mechanism underlying such an association. This study aimed to test a serial mediation model of self-esteem and frustration tolerance on the link between father absence and youth hostility.

Methods: A total of 137 Chinese youths with major depressive disorder were recruited from Wuhan Mental Health Center. They completed a survey including the Father Absence Questionnaire to measure father absence, the Chinese Hostility Inventory (CHI) to measure hostility, the Psychological Endurance Questionnaire to measure frustration tolerance, and the Self-esteem Scale (SES) to measure self-esteem. A series of multiple linear regression models were employed to assess the associations among father absence, self-esteem, frustration tolerance, and hostility.

Results: Although father absence was modestly associated with hostility (r = 0.30, p < 0.001), subsequent serial mediation analysis showed that father absence was not directly related to hostility (β = 0.06, p = 0.29) when self-esteem and frustration tolerance were included in the model. High levels of father absence had an adverse effect on levels of self-esteem, which decreased levels of frustration tolerance, and thus higher levels of hostility among depressed youths. The indirect effects of father absence on hostility through self-esteem, frustration tolerance, as well as through self-esteem and frustration tolerance serially accounted for 28%, 24%, and 24% of the total effect, respectively.

Conclusion: Our study tested a serial mediation model of self-esteem and frustration tolerance as mediators between father absence and hostility among depressed youths. The findings strengthened our understanding of the potential mechanism underlying the association between self-esteem and frustration tolerance, which may provide useful guidance for future intervention programs.

Keywords: father absence; frustration tolerance; hostility; major depressive disorder; self-esteem.