Open Access

ARTICLE

Family Organization and Resilience in Chinese Primary Students: Mediating Effects of Proactive Coping and Mindfulness

Jingyuan Yu, Xueyan Wei^*, Jinghui Wang

School of Humanities, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, 214000, China

* Corresponding Author: Xueyan Wei. Email:

(This article belongs to the Special Issue: Risk and Protective Factors in Child and Adolescent Mental Health: Insights for Research and Practice)

International Journal of Mental Health Promotion 2025, 27(12), 1929-1948. https://doi.org/10.32604/ijmhp.2025.071233

Received 02 August 2025; Accepted 10 November 2025; Issue published 31 December 2025

Abstract

Background: Chinese elementary students face mental health challenges due to excessive academic pressures. Previous research has indicated that resilience is crucial for improving their mental health, which is fostered by a supportive family environment. This study, therefore, explored the impact of family organization on children’s resilience and examined whether proactive coping and mindfulness mediate this relationship. Methods: Data were collected from 702 elementary school students (grades 3–6) in 3 cities in China using a multi-stage sampling procedure. Validated scales measured family organization, proactive coping, mindfulness, and resilience. The hypothesized model was tested using Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) in Mplus. Results: Resilience was strongly correlated with family organization (r = 0.655, p < 0.001), proactive coping (r = 0.482, p < 0.001), and mindfulness (r = 0.639, p < 0.001). Proactive coping and mindfulness mediated the relationship between family organization and resilience, with the direct effect accounting for 42.88% of the total effect. Indirect effects were distributed through two pathways: via mindfulness (41.41%) and via the “proactive coping → mindfulness” chain mediation (10.72%). Conclusions: This study reveals that effective family organization significantly enhances resilience among Chinese elementary students. Moreover, proactive coping and mindfulness serve as pivotal mediators in this relationship. These findings underscore the importance of understanding family organization and self-regulation, and their effects on the resilience of elementary pupils within the context of Chinese culture.

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Keywords

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