Future Self-Continuity and Adolescents’ Depression: The Mediating Role of Pleasure Experience and the Moderating Role of School Connectedness

Objective: Adolescent depression poses a significant mental health challenge. Drawing on cognitive theories of depression and the anhedonia susceptibility model, this study examined whether future self-continuity is associated with depressive symptoms through pleasure experience (anticipatory and consummatory pleasure), and whether these pathways are moderated by school connectedness. Methods: Using a cross-sectional design, self-report data were collected from 835 adolescents (mean age = 16.40 years; 67.4% female) in China. Participants completed the Future Self-Continuity Questionnaire, Temporal Experience of Pleasure Scale, School Connectedness Scale, and Self-rating Depression Scale. Results: (1) Future self-continuity positively predicted anticipatory pleasure ( β = 0.181, P < 0.001) and consummatory pleasure ( β = 0.166, P < 0.001). Both anticipatory pleasure ( β = − 0.231, P < 0.001) and consummatory pleasure ( β = − 0.141, P < 0.001) negatively predicted depression. (2) School connectedness moderated the paths from future self-continuity to anticipatory pleasure ( β = − 0.056, P = 0.017) and consummatory pleasure ( β = − 0.098, P < 0.001). (3) For depression prediction, the interaction between future self-continuity and school connectedness (Anticipatory model: β = − 0.093, P < 0.001; Consummatory model: β = − 0.107, P < 0.001) and the interactions between school connectedness and pleasures were significant (Anticipatory: β = − 0.084, Consummatory: β = − 0.063, Ps < 0.05). (4) The indirect effect via anticipatory pleasure was significant across all levels of school connectedness, whereas the indirect effect via consummatory pleasure was non-significant at high levels of school connectedness. Conclusion: These findings suggest that a coherent and positive sense of the future self is associated with lower levels of depressive symptoms in adolescents through greater pleasure capacity, particularly within supportive school environments. The results underscore the importance of integrating future-oriented self-concept interventions with school-based strategies to promote adolescent mental health. Keywords: future self-continuity, anticipatory pleasure, consummatory pleasure, school connectedness, depression, adolescents