<p>Previous research has explored the influence of childhood trauma on adolescent depressive symptoms. However, most studies have used variable-centered approaches, which limit the ability to capture the network structure of depressive symptoms among adolescents with distinct trauma experiences. This study used latent profile analysis (LPA) to identify distinct patterns of childhood trauma and applied network analysis to examine how these patterns influence the network structure and core symptoms of depression, combining person-centered and symptom network perspectives. The study examined a sample of 1,520 adolescents (<i>M</i>_age = 11.18, <i>SD</i> = 1.45) from Hunan Province, China. The LPA revealed four distinct categories of childhood trauma: low trauma group (66.05%), high neglect group (25.79%), low sexual abuse-high trauma group (6.12%), and high sexual abuse-high trauma group (2.04%). The multiple-group network analysis revealed that each category exhibited unique core symptoms, which were defined as those with strong overall influence within the symptom network: “fatigue,” “repressed mood,” and “lack of motivation” were the most influential symptoms in the low trauma group; “repressed mood” and “loneliness” were the most influential symptoms in the high neglect group; and “decreased attention” was the most influential symptom in the low sexual abuse-high trauma group. This study revealed heterogeneity of childhood trauma and differences in core depressive symptoms across trauma patterns. The findings offer valuable insights for more precise identification and intervention targeting depressive symptoms in adolescents with diverse trauma experiences.</p>