Abstract
Childhood separation caused by parental migration increases the risk of
suffering depressive symptoms among college students. However, most studies in this
field have focused on environmental factors and largely ignored the role of
physiological reactivity to stress (e.g., parasympathetic nervous system activity)
in this process. The present study examined the long-term effects of the
parent–child separation experience on depressive symptoms in college
students, and explored the moderating role of parasympathetic nervous system (PNS)
activity in these relationships. The participants were 242 college students
(Mage = 18.74 years, SD = 0.79; 32.2% male), including 149
college students who experienced parent–child separation and 93 college
students without this experience. Using a three-wave longitudinal design,
participants completed the measures of the parent–child separation
experience, PNS activity (measured via respiratory sinus arrhythmia, RSA), and
depressive symptoms at Time 1 (T1, before the COVID-19 lockdown). Their depressive
symptoms were again measured at Time 2 (T2, during the COVID-19 lockdown) and Time 3
(T3, after the COVID-19 lockdown). The results showed that the parent–child
separation experience positively predicted depressive symptoms in college students
at three time points. Moreover, the parent–child separation experience
positively predicted depressive symptoms at T2 among males with less and average RSA
suppression but positively predicted depressive symptoms at T2 among females with
greater RSA suppression. These findings indicate a long-term effect of
parent–child separation on depressive symptoms in college students that
still exist after they entered university, and that the effect varies depending on
PNS activity and gender.