The Relationship Between Perceived Social Stigma and Depression in Out-of-School Adolescents: The Moderated Mediating Effect of Peer Attachment Through Ego-Resilience

Objectives The purpose of this study was to verify whether resilience mediates the relationship between perceived social stigma and depression in out-of-school adolescents and to analyze the moderated mediating effect of peer attachment in this process. Methods A total of 318 out-of-school adolescents data from the Panel Survey of School Dropouts wave 5, conducted by the National Youth Policy Institute of Korea., were used for the study.Self-reported measures were utilized to evaluate perceived social stigma, peer attachment, ego resilience, and depression. The collected data were analyzed and verified sequentially using descriptive statistics, Pearson's product-moment correlation, mediation effects, moderation effects, and moderated mediation effects. Results The study results revealed the following: First, ego resilience was found to have a partial mediating effect on the relationship between perceived social stigma and depression among out-of-school adolescents. Second, peer attachment moderated the relationship between perceived social stigma and ego resilience. Specifically, at higher levels of peer attachment, perceived social stigma significantly enhanced ego resilience, whereas no significant changes in ego resilience were observed at lower levels of peer attachment. Third, peer attachment was shown to regulate the relationship between perceived social stigma and depression by moderating ego resilience, demonstrating a moderated mediating effect on depression. Conclusions According to this study, the findings indicate that peer attachment serves as a critical moderating factor that strengthens ego resilience in the face of social stigma, thereby reducing depression among out-of-school adolescents. Peer attachment acts as a protective factor, playing a pivotal role in alleviating depression. These results underscore the need for intervention strategies that focus on enhancing peer attachment to support the emotional well-being of out-of-school adolescents.