Objective: To investigate the mediating roles of self-esteem and social support in the relationship between attachment(anxiety and avoidance) and depressive symptoms.Methods: Experiences in Close Relationships Inventory(ECR),Self-esteem Scale(SES),Social Support Rating Scale(SSRS),and Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale(CES-D) were administered to 1677 college students.Structural equation modeling(SEM) method was used to analyze the data,and Bootstrap method was used to assess the magnitude of the indirect effects.Results: Self-esteem and social sup-port partially mediated the effect of attachment anxiety on depressive symptoms and served as a full mediator in the relation-ship between attachment avoidance and depressive symptoms.Conclusion: These findings suggest that both attachment anxiety and attachment avoidance may facilitate explicit self-esteem and reduce social support,which in turn leads to depressive symptoms.

1 Hui T, Ling-ling D, Xiu-li S, et al. Meta-analysis of detection rate of depressed mood among Chinese college students 2002 to 2011. Journal of Jilin University(Medical Sciences), 2013, 39:965-969
2 Jones Blurton N. Attachment and loss Vol 1. Attachment. New York:Basic Books, 1969
3 Bowlby J. Attachment And Loss. Vol. 2:Separation:Anxiety And An:Evt. Penguin Books, 1973
4 Bowlby J. Attachment and Loss. New York, NY, US:Basic Books, 1980
5 Bartholomew K, Horowitz LM. Attachment styles among young adults:A test of a four category mode. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 1991, 61:226-244
6 Brennan K, Clark C, Shaver P. Self-report measurement of adult attachment:An integrative overview. In Simpson and Rholes. Attachment theory and close ralationships. New York:Guilford Press, 1998. 46-76
7 Cole-Detke H, Kobak R. Attachment processes in eating disorder and depression. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 1996, 64:282-290
8 Berry K, Barrowclough C, Wearden A. A review of the role of adult attachment style in psychosis:unexplored issues and questions for further research. Clin Psychol Rev, 2007, 27:458-475
9 Conradi HJ, de Jonge P. Recurrent depression and the role of adult attachment:a prospective and a retrospective study. Journal of Affective Disorders, 2009, 116:93-99
10 Zhan-ming S, Qin Y, Ying X, Qian W, Yun-ping Y. Adult Attachment Style of the Depressive Disorder Patients. Chinese Journal of Clinical Psychology, 2013, 21:616-619
11 Roberts JE, Gotlib IH, Kassel JD. Adult attachment security and symptoms of depression:the mediating roles of dysfunctional attitudes and low self-esteem. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 1996, 70:310-320
12 Li T, Li J, Dai Q. Adult Attachment, social support, and depression level of poststroke patients. Social Behavior and Personality, 2008, 36:1341-1352
13 Furong T, Jun Z, Yanling L. Relationship of College Students adult attachment, social support and depression. Psychological Development and Education, 2009. 95-100
14 Kuan mak MC, Bond MH, Simpson JA, Rholes WS. Adult attachment, perceived support, and depressive symptoms in Chinese and American cultures. Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology, 2010, 29:144-165
15 Tong-gui L, Ka-zou K. Measuring Adult Attachment Chinese Adaptation of the ECR Scale. Acta Psychologica Sinica, 2006, 38:399-406
16 Shui-yuan X. Social Support Rating Scale(SSRS). Beijing:Chinese Mental Health Journal, 1999
17 MacKinnon DP, Lockwood CM, Hoffman JM, West SG, Sheets V. A comparison of methods to test mediation and other intervening variable effects. Psychological Methods, 2002, 7:83-104
18 Baron RM, Kenny DA. The moderator-mediator variable distinction in social psychological research:conceptual, strategic, and statistical considerations. J Pers Soc Psychol, 1986, 51:1173-1182
19 Sobel ME. Asymptotic intervals for indirect effects in structural equations models. San Francisco:Jossey-Bass, 1982
20 Shrout PE, Bolger N. Mediation in experimental and nonexperimental studies:New procedures and recommendations. Psychological Methods, 2002, 7:422-445
21 Anderson JC, Gerbing DW. Structural equation modeling in practice:A review and recommended two-step approach. Psychological Bulletin, 1988, 103:411-423
22 Hair JFJ, Anderson RE, Tatham RL, Black WC. Multivariate data analysis with reading(3rd ed.). New York:Macmillan Publishing Company, 1992
23 MacKinnon DP, Fritz MS, Williams J, Lockwood CM. Distribution of the product confidence limits for the indirect effect:Program PRODCLIN. Behavior Research Methods, 2007, 39:384-389
24 Lee A, Hankin BL. Insecure attachment, dysfunctional attitudes, and low self-esteem predicting prospective symptoms of depression and anxiety during adolescence. Journal of clinical child and adolescent psychology:the official journal for the Society of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology, American Psychological Association, Division 53, 2009, 38:219-231