Eur Child Adolesc Psychiatry. 2025 Oct 18. doi: 10.1007/s00787-025-02873-9. Online ahead of print.
ABSTRACT
School-based social relationships play a significant role in shaping children’s psychological health. However, it is unclear whether relationships with peers and teachers have differential effects, and whether these effects vary by gender. Using data from 2,168 individuals (9,608 person-waves), aged 7-8 at baseline and followed across five waves of the Korean Children and Youth Panel Survey (KCYPS), this study examined the association between the quality of school-based social relationships and psychological health. Fixed effects models were used to account for unobserved individual-level confounders, such as genetics, personality traits, family background, and pre-existing mental health conditions. Two psychological health outcomes were used, including depressive symptoms and psychosomatic symptoms. Interaction models were used to examine whether gender moderated these associations. Fixed effects estimates revealed that higher quality relationships with both peers and teachers were associated with decreases in depressive symptoms and psychosomatic symptoms. Overall, peer relationship was more salient for children’s psychological health than teacher relationship. Notable gender differences were observed in the associations. For boys, teacher relationships had relatively weaker associations with both outcomes. For girls, teacher relationships were as influential as peer relationships in reducing psychological distress. These findings highlight the importance of considering both the source of social relationships and the child’s gender when designing school-based mental health interventions. Efforts to foster positive relationships with peers and teachers may serve as an effective strategy to promote children’s psychological well-being.
PMID:41108395 | DOI:10.1007/s00787-025-02873-9
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