Shunying Zhao¹, Junmo Luo², Yun Tian³, Yuanyuan Wen¹, Liren Yin¹, Xingjuan Liu^1,*

International Journal of Mental Health Promotion, Vol.28, No.6, 2026, DOI:10.32604/ijmhp.2026.077671 - 23 June 2026

Abstract Objectives: Academic anxiety is a prevalent emotional challenge among adolescents and has been linked to intelligence beliefs. Although prior research connects growth mindset to academic anxiety, the role of perceived control remains unclear. This longitudinal study aimed to examine whether sense of control mediates the relationship between growth mindset and academic anxiety in early adolescents. Methods: A three-wave longitudinal design was conducted with 407 early adolescents (Mean_age = 13.75, 61.18% female) recruited from two public middle schools in southern China. Participants completed self-report measures of growth mindset, sense of control, and academic anxiety at three time points… More >

Eungyeong Kim^*

International Journal of Mental Health Promotion, Vol.28, No.5, 2026, DOI:10.32604/ijmhp.2026.078353 - 28 May 2026

Abstract Background: Adolescents are highly exposed to digital food-related content, including mukbang videos, yet the psychological consequences of such exposure remain insufficiently understood. This study aimed to examine the association between mukbang viewing and anxiety among adolescents and to investigate the mediating roles of high-caffeine beverages and sugar-sweetened beverages intake. Methods: Data from 51,850 adolescents were drawn from the 2022 Korea Youth Risk Behavior Web-based Survey. Parallel mediation analyses were conducted using PROCESS Model 4 with 5000 bootstrap samples to assess whether the frequency of high-caffeine beverages and sugar-sweetened beverages consumption mediated the association between mukbang viewing… More >

Junwei Zhang¹, Jingbo Wang², Qiangzhi Zuo³, Tong Han⁴, Yang Liu^5,*

International Journal of Mental Health Promotion, Vol.28, No.5, 2026, DOI:10.32604/ijmhp.2026.076641 - 28 May 2026

Abstract Objectives: Existing research indicates a link between childhood physical abuse (CPA) and adolescent smartphone addiction (SA), yet it primarily relies on cross-sectional data. This leaves the longitudinal developmental pathways, including the mediating role of anxiety and the potential protective role of physical activity (PA), poorly understood and insufficiently examined. This study aimed to examine the longitudinal association between CPA and SA among Chinese middle school students, and to investigate the mediating role of anxiety and the moderating role of PA in this relationship. Methods: This study was conducted in two waves of a longitudinal design with… More >

Yuhan Guo¹, Jiayi Li², Shuai Chen³, Yanling Liu^2,*

International Journal of Mental Health Promotion, Vol.28, No.5, 2026, DOI:10.32604/ijmhp.2026.075377 - 28 May 2026

Abstract Background: In adolescence, anxiety symptoms are a common mental health problem. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the possible chain-mediating functions of fundamental psychological needs satisfaction and self-compassion in the link between adolescent anxiety and parental psychological control. Methods: Convenience sampling was used to pick 8342 middle school pupils from the Chinese regions of Sichuan and Hebei for this cross-sectional study. Participants filled out validated measures of anxiety symptoms, self-compassion, fundamental psychological needs satisfaction, and parental psychological control. To test the suggested chain mediation model, data were examined using descriptive statistics, correlation analysis, and… More >

Guangdong Zhou^1,2, Qing Zhang¹, Meishuo Yu^3,*

International Journal of Mental Health Promotion, Vol.28, No.4, 2026, DOI:10.32604/ijmhp.2026.076721 - 28 April 2026

Abstract Background: Adolescence is a critical period for mental health development, during which individuals may experience emotional challenges such as anxiety and depression. However, the patterns of how these symptoms develop and change over time in high school students, as well as the factors that influence these patterns, remain unclear. This study aims to identify distinct anxiety-depression symptom profiles and their transitions over time, while examining the roles of gender, subjective well-being, and psychological resilience in shaping these profiles. Methods: Two-wave longitudinal questionnaire data were collected from 913 high school students (57% female) in Shandong Province, China,… More >

Juyan Fang¹, Xin Deng¹, Mengting Pan², Guoqiang Chen¹, Yang Liu^1,*

International Journal of Mental Health Promotion, Vol.28, No.4, 2026, DOI:10.32604/ijmhp.2026.073013 - 28 April 2026

Abstract Objectives: Social Media Dependence (SMD) has emerged as a growing public health concern among adolescents. Psychological Maltreatment (PM), characterized by denigration, intimidation, and emotional neglect, is considered an important familial risk factor for adolescents’ emotional and behavioral problems. However, the psychological mechanisms linking PM to adolescent SMD remain insufficiently understood. This study aimed to examine the relationship between PM and SMD and to explore the mediating roles of Difficulty Describing Feelings (DDF), Depression (DP), and Anxiety (AN). Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted among 2243 Chinese adolescents. Descriptive statistics, correlation analyses, and mediation analyses were performed… More >

Qiaobo Wei^1,2, Hui Zhou^1,3,*

Journal of Psychology in Africa, Vol.36, No.2, pp. 277-284, 2026, DOI:10.32604/jpa.2026.068776 - 29 April 2026

Abstract We investigated the relationship between social anxiety on adolescent students’ internet fiction reading and mediation by self-esteem. A total of 774 adolescent students (female = 48.9%; mean age 13.39 ± 1.46) completed surveys on internet fiction addiction, social anxiety and self-esteem. Mediation analysis results indicated a significant school grade placement effect in internet fiction reading to be lower . The self-esteem of adolescent students plays a mediating role between social anxiety and internet fiction reading for higher internet fiction reading with higher self-esteem. This mediating effect accounts for about two-thirds of the total effect. This More >

Albert Jiansong Zheng^1,*, Junxian Shen²

International Journal of Mental Health Promotion, Vol.28, No.3, 2026, DOI:10.32604/ijmhp.2026.077733 - 31 March 2026

Abstract Background: The anxiolytic benefits of exercise appear to vary across societies, yet limited research has examined how cultural norms shape this association. To address this gap, the present study investigates the moderating role of societal individualism–collectivism in the relation between exercise and anxiety symptoms. Methods: Using a sample of 123,298 individuals across 23 societies and two waves from the Global Flourishing Study, weighted multilevel models were employed to examine the lagged association between exercise at Wave 1 and anxiety symptoms at Wave 2, with and without adjustment for exercise at Wave 2. We further examined the… More >

Ziyun Yang¹, Ling Wang², Jinhua Xu^3,*, Fanfan Li^4,5,*, Kexin Chen^6,7,*

International Journal of Mental Health Promotion, Vol.28, No.3, 2026, DOI:10.32604/ijmhp.2026.075283 - 31 March 2026

Abstract Background: The concept of “involution” has garnered significant attention within China’s education system, encapsulating students’ perceptions of intense and often fruitless academic competition. However, the impact of perceived involution on students’ psychological outcomes, particularly academic burnout, remains underexplored. This study examines the relationship between perceived involution and academic burnout among university students. Specifically, it examines whether anxiety mediates this relationship and whether self-control moderates the effect of perceived involution on anxiety. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was administered to 673 university students in China. Standardized scales were employed to measure perceived involution, anxiety, self-control, and academic burnout.… More >

Xu Wang^1,2, Cui-Hong Cao^2,3, Xiao-Ling Liao⁴, Xing-Yong Jiang⁵, Mark D. Griffiths⁶, I-Hua Chen^7,*, Chung-Ying Lin^8,9,*

International Journal of Mental Health Promotion, Vol.28, No.3, 2026, DOI:10.32604/ijmhp.2026.075149 - 31 March 2026

Abstract Background: The recently developed Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scales–Youth Version (DASS-Y) shows promise as a tool for assessing youth mental health, but its consistency across timepoints and diverse ages remains underexplored. The present study evaluated whether the DASS-Y reliably measured depression, anxiety, and stress among school-aged youth (aged 9–18 years) across distinct time periods and educational stages. Methods: Two studies were conducted. Study 1 examined consistency over three months using data from 736 Central Chinese high school students who completed surveys at both timepoints. Study 2 tested consistency across educational levels among 2321 primary and 1676… More >