Open Access

ARTICLE

Examining Associations between Teacher–Student Relationships and Adolescent Well-Being: The Roles of School Belonging, Moral Disengagement, and Growth Mindset

Xingchen Zhu¹, Haohan Zhao^2,*, Wencan Li^3,*, Zixu Wang¹
1 College of Psychology, Liaoning Normal University, Dalian, China
2 School of Chinese Language and Literature, Liaoning Normal University, Dalian, China
3 Faculty of Education, East China Normal University, Shanghai, China
* Corresponding Author: Haohan Zhao. Email: ; Wencan Li. Email:
(This article belongs to the Special Issue: Adolescent and Youth Mental Health: Toxic and Friendly Environments)

International Journal of Mental Health Promotion https://doi.org/10.32604/ijmhp.2026.078033

Received 22 December 2025; Accepted 21 January 2026; Published online 09 February 2026

Abstract

Backgrounds: Adolescent psychological well-being has become a pressing global concern, with rising levels of emotional distress among youth. Although prior research highlights the positive influence of teacher–student relationships, the underlying mechanisms—particularly the roles of school belonging, moral disengagement, and growth mindset—remain insufficiently understood. This study investigates the associations between teacher-student relationship quality and adolescent psychological well-being, examining school belonging and moral disengagement as potential mediators, and growth mindset as a moderator of these relationships. Methods: A total of 785 adolescents were recruited from six schools across Shanghai and Liaoning Province, China. Participants completed validated measures of teacher-student relationships, psychological well-being, school belonging, moral disengagement, and growth mindset. Data was analyzed using path analysis and moderation analyses with SPSS 23.0 and Mplus 8.3. Results: Teacher-student relationship quality demonstrated a strong positive association with psychological well-being (β = 0.613, p < 0.001). This association was mediated through three distinct pathways. School belonging served as a significant mediator (indirect effect = 0.103, 16.803% of total effect), as did moral disengagement (indirect effect = 0.134, 21.860% of total effect). Additionally, a sequential indirect pathway was identified, capturing the structural associations among the variables such that teacher-student relationship quality was related to school belonging, school belonging was related to moral disengagement, and moral disengagement was related to psychological well-being (indirect effect = 0.040, accounting for 6.525% of the total effect). However, growth mindset did not significantly moderate the relationship between the teacher-student relationship and psychological well-being (interaction b = 0.075, p = 0.096). Conclusions: Teacher-student relationships are strongly associated with adolescent psychological well-being, with this association mediated through both cognitive-moral and socio-emotional pathways. The sequential mediation pattern is consistent with a developmentally coherent process wherein relational support may establish belonging as a foundation for moral engagement. Although growth mindset did not function as a significant moderator in this study, it remains a positive predictor of psychological well-being. These findings underscore the importance of comprehensive interventions that address relational quality, school connectedness, and moral development to promote adolescent mental health.

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Keywords

Teacher-student relationship; school belonging; moral disengagement; growth mindset; psychological well-being

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