The influence of school relationships on anxiety and depression among Chinese adolescents whose parents are absent

We examined the influence of school interpersonal relationships and parental absence on adolescents’ anxiety and depression levels. The Chinese version of the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (Spielberger, Gorsuch, Lushene, Vagg, & Jacobs, 1983) and the Children’s Depression Inventory (Kovacs, 1992) were used to measure the anxiety and depression of 950 students, aged 13-17, of whom 456 were adolescents with absent parents. Adolescents whose parents were absent had ambivalent relationships with teachers and their relationships with classmates were also ambivalent, but to a lesser degree. Moreover, the disharmonious relationships with teachers and classmates caused them to be more anxious and depressed than were their peers.