{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2025,12,3]],"date-time":"2025-12-03T05:25:38Z","timestamp":1764739538173,"version":"3.46.0"},"reference-count":39,"publisher":"Frontiers Media SA","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,12,3]],"date-time":"2025-12-03T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1764720000000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["frontiersin.org"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Front. Public Health"],"abstract":"<jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Background<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Depressive symptoms are often associated with insecure attachment. In China, working mothers are particularly vulnerable due to the intersecting pressures of work and familial responsibilities. Emerging evidence suggests that inner strength\u2014including resilience, emotional regulation, and positive coping\u2014may buffer the impact of insecure attachment on depressive symptoms in this population.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Objective<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>The primary objective was to determine whether inner strengths moderate the relationship between insecure attachment and depressive symptoms among Chinese working mothers. A secondary objective was to assess the prevalence of depressive symptoms in this population, measured with the OI-Depression subscale (Outcome Inventory-21).<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Materials and methods<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>A cross-sectional survey was conducted with 330 Chinese working mothers aged 30\u201345 years. Participants completed validated measures: the Outcome Inventory for Depression, Experiences in Close Relationships, and the Inner Strength-Based Inventory. Moderation analysis was performed using the PROCESS macro, Model 1, to investigate whether inner strengths modified the relationship between insecure attachment and depressive symptoms.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Results<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>\n                      Insecure attachment (\n                      <jats:italic>B<\/jats:italic>\n                      = 0.233,\n                      <jats:italic>p<\/jats:italic>\n                      &amp;lt; 0.001) and inner strengths (\n                      <jats:italic>B<\/jats:italic>\n                      = \u22120.295,\n                      <jats:italic>p<\/jats:italic>\n                      &amp;lt; 0.001) were both significantly associated with depressive symptoms. Notably, a significant moderation effect was observed (interaction\n                      <jats:italic>B<\/jats:italic>\n                      = \u22120.009,\n                      <jats:italic>p<\/jats:italic>\n                      &amp;lt; 0.001): higher levels of inner strengths were associated with a weaker positive relationship between insecure attachment and depressive symptoms. This study also found the prevalence was 38.2% for depressive symptoms in this group based on the screening tools.\n                    <\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Conclusion<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Inner strengths significantly moderated the link between insecure attachment and depressive symptoms among Chinese working mothers. These findings highlight the protective potential of enhancing inner strengths in mental health interventions for this population. Further longitudinal research is recommended to confirm these effects and explore strategies to foster inner resilience.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.3389\/fpubh.2025.1668503","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,12,3]],"date-time":"2025-12-03T05:20:31Z","timestamp":1764739231000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/crossmark-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Inner strengths as buffers against the impact of insecure attachment on depressive symptoms in working 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