Feeling matters: perceived social support moderates the relationship between personal relative deprivation and depressive symptoms

BACKGROUND: Little research describes the mechanisms underlying depressive symptoms and personal relative deprivation in Chinese populations. METHODS: In this study, the respondents were (N = 914) residents of Beijing (17–59 years old) and robust multiple linear regressions were used to assess the main relationship between relative deprivation and depressive symptoms and social support as a potential moderator for that relationship. RESULTS: Individuals who reported higher personal relative deprivation had greater depressive symptoms than those who reported lower personal relative deprivation. Perceived social support buffered the relationship between depressive symptoms and personal relative deprivation. CONCLUSIONS: The findings of this current study demonstrate the importance of relative deprivation for psychological strain and income in explaining how socioeconomic indices correlate with depressive symptoms. They also demonstrate the need to acknowledge the interaction of perceived social support and personal relative deprivation for influencing depression. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12888-021-03334-8.