To explore the mediating role of self-esteem in the relationship between childhood adverse experiences (ACEs) and depressive symptoms of junior high school students, and the regulatory effect of social support.

A total of 1 308 students from 3 junior middle schools in Xiangxi were selected by stratified random cluster sampling from February to April 2023. A questionnaire survey was conducted with the use of Childhood adverse experience questionnaire, Adolescent social support scale, PHQ-9 Depression symptom screening scale, and Rosenberg self-esteem scale. The data were analyzed by correlation analysis, intermediary analysis, and moderated intermediary model test.

(1) ACEs positively predicted depressive symptoms of junior high school students (β=0.801, t=7.246, P<0.05), while self-esteem and social support negatively predicted depressive symptoms of junior high school students (β=-0.406, t=-14.276, P < 0.05; β =-0.027, t=-2.781, P < 0.05). (2) Self-esteem played a mediating role between ACEs and depressive symptoms (effect=0.468, P < 0.05), and the mediating effect accounted for 31.33% of the total effect. (3) Social support directly regulated the relationship between ACEs and depressive symptoms (β=-0.017, t=-3.043, P<0.01), and social support played a regulatory role in the latter half of the mediating pathway of “ACEs self-esteem and depressive symptoms” (β=-0.004, t=-2.887, P<0.01).

There is a mediating effect between ACEs and depressive symptoms of junior high school students, and self-esteem is the mediating variable of the relationship between them. Social support buffers the influence of ACEs on the risk of depressive symptoms of junior high school students and strengthens the relationship between self-esteem and depressive symptoms. Therefore, giving more care and social support to junior high school students with ACEs and improving their self-esteem will help prevent and reduce the occurrence of depressive symptoms.