Open Access

ARTICLE

Longitudinal Association between Negative Family Representations and Depression in High School Students: The Mediating Role of Cognitive Failure and the Moderating Role of Self-Compassion

Han Qi¹, Zhihong Liu², Shanshan Zhang^1,*, Fengmin Guo³

1 College of Education Sciences, Shenyang Normal University, Shenyang, China
2 College of Psychology, Liaoning Normal University, Dalian, China
3 College of Teacher Education, Shenyang Normal University, Shenyang, China

* Corresponding Author: Shanshan Zhang. Email:

(This article belongs to the Special Issue: Child and Adolescent Mental Health: Risk and Protective Factors, Assessment, Interventions and Lifespan Outcomes)

International Journal of Mental Health Promotion 2026, 28(8), 11 https://doi.org/10.32604/ijmhp.2026.081464

Received 02 March 2026; Accepted 04 May 2026; Issue published 31 August 2026

Abstract

Backgrounds: High school is a critical period for psychological development, during which mental health is vulnerable to family environment. According to attachment theory, adolescents exposed to conflicting family environments develop negative internal working models, characterized by doubts about the stability of parental relationships and family support (i.e., negative family representations). These negative representations constitute a cognitive basis for depression risk. However, the mediating and protective mechanisms remain unclear. Thus, the primary purpose of this study is to explore the potential effect of negative family representations on depression among high school students, focusing on the mediating role of cognitive failure and the moderating role of self-compassion. Methods: A longitudinal follow-up design included 770 high school students (342 males and 428 females) who completed two waves of questionnaires eight months apart. The measures included the security scale of parental relationship, the cognitive failures questionnaire, the self-compassion scale, and the center for epidemiologic studies depression scale. Results: (1) Negative family representations positively predicted depression eight months later. (2) Cognitive failure played a longitudinal mediating role between negative family representations and depression. (3) Self-compassion not only negatively predicted depression but also moderated the relationship between negative family representations and depression. Specifically, the higher the level of self-compassion, the weaker the impact of negative family representations on depression. Conclusions: Negative family representations significantly affect high school students’ depression over eight months via cognitive failure. Self-compassion directly alleviates depression and buffers the negative impact of negative family representations on depression These findings have practical implications for improving adolescent mental health support systems and promoting positive development.

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