A survey was conducted on the development status of mental health education in 812 universities nationwide using self-developed survey criteria, aiming to reveal the development characteristics and practical challenges of mental health education in universities in the new era, and to put forward some suggestions for its development. Study 1 established a set of survey criteria for university mental health education work, comprising 8 first-level indicators, 19 second-level indicators, and 53 third-level indicators. Study 2 revealed that the construction goals of “the 2011 standards” were generally well achieved, and the main tasks proposed in “the 2018 guidelines” were also largely completed. The results indicate that the construction of mental health education systems in Chinese universities has been highly effective, particularly in terms of education and teaching, practical activities, and curriculum development, showcasing Chinese characteristics. However, significant shortcomings remain in the construction of counseling systems, collaboration between schools, medical professionals, families, and communities in crisis intervention, as well as funding and facility investments, which require improvement and enhancement.
In this study, 1590 primary and middle school students were tested by questionnaire method to explore the relationship between parental psychological control and short video addiction, and the mediating role of autonomy and reverse psychology. The results indicated that: 1) parental psychological control was significantly negatively correlated with the autonomy, and was significantly positively correlated with reverse psychology and short video addiction; 2) the autonomy played a mediating role between parental psychological control and short video addiction; 3) reverse psychology played a mediating role between parental psychological control and short video addiction; 4) the autonomy and reverse psychology played a chain mediating role between parental psychological control and short video addiction.
This paper, grounded in the framework of embodied cognition, integrates predictive coding theory and the Bayesian brain hypothesis to systematically review the pathways and predictive mechanisms through which mind-body regulation training influences interoception. At the physiological level, the respiratory patterns involved in mind-body regulation training may enhance parasympathetic nervous system activity, promoting homeostasis. Psychologically, through components such as attention awareness and acceptance practices, mind-body regulation training engages in the processing of interoceptive attention and modulates the predictive coding model of interoception via direct effects on the autonomic nervous system. Neurobiologically, mind-body regulation training may alter interoceptive capacity by reshaping the structure and function of insular cortex-related neural circuits. The overall regulatory mechanism of mind-body training may be related to a shift from active inference to perceptual inference, leading to reduced prediction error and enhanced interoception. This paper further proposes a “physiological-neural-psychological” cross-level model to elucidate how mind-body training achieves multidimensional integration of the interoceptive system through predictive coding mechanisms, outlining potential directions for future research.
Breathing is closely related to emotion regulation, as breathing patterns can reflect emotional states and breathing training have a positive impact on emotional regulation. Despite the increasing public interest in breathing training as an important method for emotion regulation in recent years, there is still a lack of systematic discussion on how breathing affects brain function and, consequently, emotions. In response, this paper delves into the interactive mechanisms between breathing and the brain and their neural circuits, with emphasis on elucidating the coupling relationship between breathing and emotion-related brain networks to clarify the neural basis of how breathing influences emotions. Based on these mechanisms, we also introduce mainstream breathing training modalities, their interactive mechanisms with the brain, and their roles in different types of emotional interventions. In summary, this paper aims to deepen the understanding of the relationship between breathing, the brain, and emotions, and provide new insights into emotion intervention techniques based on breathing training.
A total of 646 adolescents in Liaoning province were followed up for three consecutive times using a longitudinal design to investigate the relationship between cyber-ostracism and online deviant behaviors and its mechanism. The results showed that: 1) Cyber-ostracism at the pretest (Tn) significantly and positively predicted online deviant behaviors at the posttest (Tn+1), while online deviant behaviors at the pretest failed to predict cyber-ostracism at the posttest. 2) Hostile attribution bias played a longitudinal mediating role between cyber-ostracism and online deviant behaviors. 3) The mediating effect of hostile attribution bias between cyber-ostracism and online deviant behaviors varied across different genders of adolescents. Boys were more likely to stimulate hostility attribution after experiencing cyber-ostracism, and then produced online deviant behaviors, while this mediating mechanism was not significant among girls. Moreover, a reciprocal relationship between cyber-ostracism and online deviant behaviors was only found in girls. The results of this study reveal the psychological mechanism of the formation of online deviant behaviors, and have implications for the prevention and intervention of adolescent online deviant behaviors.
Personal growth initiative (PGI) is crucial for enhancing well-being and alleviating depression and anxiety, with wisdom potentially playing a latent role. This study surveyed 1,528 early-adult college students, by employing necessary condition analysis, network analysis, and mediation analysis to examine how PGI promotes psychological health. The results showed that: 1) PGI was a necessary condition for wisdom, well-being, depression, and anxiety; 2) planning dimension of PGI was at the core of the network; 3) PGI could mitigate depression and anxiety by fostering wisdom, but had no indirect effect on boosting well-being. These findings offer a new positive psychology perspective and practical approach to fostering college students’ psychological health.
The aim of the present study was to develop and validate a home literacy environment scale suitable for Chinese primary school students. A questionnaire survey was conducted among 1,654 parents of primary school students using the self-developed scale, followed by item analysis and reliability and validity testing. The results indicated that the scale consists of 7 dimensions with 30 items. The internal consistency reliability, structural validity, and criterion-related validity of the scale met psychometric requirements. The scale demonstrated measurement invariance across boys and girls and was significantly correlated with reading behaviors. The Home Literacy Environment Scale developed in this study exhibits good reliability and validity, making it an effective tool for assessing the home literacy environment of primary school students in China.
Interoception, a process wherein the nervous system senses, interprets, and integrates signals originating from within the body to provide a moment-by-moment mapping of the body’s internal state across conscious and unconscious levels, is crucial for maintaining homeostasis. The interoceptive system exhibits a unique rhythm, and the disruption of this rhythm is a prominent feature of different mental disorders. Therefore, the role of interoception in mental health has gained increased attention from researchers. In this paper, we review the physiological and psychological mechanisms of interoceptive rhythm, and then summarize the empirical evidence on the interaction between interoceptive rhythm and mental health. Finally, we propose an integrative theory grounded in the free energy framework and predictive coding model, which provides a testable framework to quantify the potential mechanism through which interoceptive rhythm affects mental health.
As a foundational psychological construct, teachers’ professional identity(TPI) empowers pre-service teachers to fulfill future instructional roles. Through a cross-sectional survey of 2,633 pre-service teachers from Chinese local comprehensive universities, this study explored demographic variations and developmental mechanisms in TPI. The results showed that: 1) participants reported moderately high levels of TPI; 2) significant differences in TPI emerged across gender, academic year, and major; 3) learning engagement and teacher self-efficacy each served as partial mediators between enrollment motivation and TPI; and 4) these two factors further formed a serial mediation pathway linking enrollment motivation to TPI. By delineating these developmental pathways, the research offers evidence-based insights for enhancing teacher education programs.
To examine the relationship between kindergarten teachers’ social-emotional competence and burnout, and to explore the chain-mediated role of psychological empowerment and positive coping styles in it, a questionnaire survey was conducted among 681 kindergarten teachers in Beijing by using the Maslach Burnout Inventory-Educators Survey, Emotional Intelligence Scale, Psychological Empowerment Scale, and Positive Coping Subscale. The results showed that: 1) Social-emotional competence was significantly and negatively related to burnout; social-emotional competence was significantly and positively related to psychological empowerment and positive coping styles; psychological empowerment and positive coping styles were significantly and negatively related to burnout; and psychological empowerment was significantly and positively related to positive coping styles. 2) Psychological empowerment and positive coping styles respectively played a partial mediating role between social-emotional competence and burnout. 3) Psychological empowerment and positive coping styles as chain mediators between social-emotional competence and burnout.
To explore the effect of parental psychological control on malevolent creativity and its psychological mechanism, 623 vocational school students were investigated by questionnaire survey. The results showed that: 1) parental psychological control positively predicted malevolent creativity; 2) anger rumination partially mediated the relationship between parental psychological control and malevolent creativity; 3) resilience significantly moderated the relationship between parental psychological control and anger rumination in the indirect effect of mediation model; resilience significantly moderated the relationship between parental psychological control and malevolent creativity in the direct effect of mediation model. The results suggest that reducing parental psychological control and decreasing anger rumination, as well as enhancing resilience, are all effective ways to reduce malevolent creativity among vocational school students.
Professor Hao Yaodong was one of the pioneers of psychology discipline in modern and contemporary China. While studying in the United States, he was mentored by L. M. Terman, then the president of the American Psychological Association and a distinguished psychologist in the realm of intelligence testing. Prof. Hao was the first to introduce foreign theories of intelligence tests, psychometrics, educational psychology and corresponding empirical research methods into China, and to put them into teaching and research practice, particularly into the practice of psychological testing. Furthermore, he initiated and participated in the establishment of professional psychological associations and academic journals, playing a leading role in developing psychology discipline. Deeply rooted in the northwest of China, Prof. Hao laid foundations for the departments of psychology in both Northwest Normal University and Shaanxi Normal University, which promoted the disciplinary layout in China. As a disseminator of western scientific psychological thoughts and research paradigms and a practitioner of the construction and development of psychology discipline in China, Professor Hao Yaodong made outstanding contributions to the development of psychology in modern and contemporary China.
To explore the relationship and mechanism between awe and prosocial behavior among junior high school students, three studies were conducted, which included questionnaire survey, experimental manipulation and educational interventions. Results showed that: 1) meaning in life mediated the relationship between trait awe and prosocial behavior; 2) meaning in life mediated the relationship between state awe and prosocial behavior; 3) meaning in life mediated the relationship between awe intervention and prosocial behavior. These findings are of significant reference value for identifying factors influencing junior high school students’ prosocial behavior and exploring paths to enhance such behavior.
Do individuals choose “sustained social engagement” or “social withdrawal” after experiencing social exclusion? Existing research has not reached a consensus. To explain the mechanisms underlying these discrepancies, this study conducted two progressive investigations exploring the moderating role of negative perfectionism and its mediating path through attentional bias. Study 1 revealed that negative perfectionism amplified the positive effect of social exclusion on social withdrawal behaviors. Study 2 further demonstrated that attentional bias towards acceptance-related emotional faces mediated the relationship between social exclusion and social withdrawal behaviors, specifically in individuals with high negative perfectionism. This research not only clarified the trait-situation interactions but also revealed the dynamic processes in attentional processing, thereby providing an integrated framework to reconcile existing theoretical disagreements.
Interoception is generally defined as the processing that perceives, integrates, and interprets signals from various viscera. In recent years, the relationship between physical activity and interoception has received considerable attention. Changes in interoception help individuals to monitor multimodal signals in terms of physical activity, modulate exercise intensity, and influence emotional experience. In addition, physical activity also influences the onset of interoception, on the one hand by altering the afferents of physiological signals to achieve bottom-up regulation, and on the other hand physical activity is also influenced by attention, which regulates perceptual processes in a top-down manner. This paper summarizes the potential physiological mechanism of the interaction between physical activity and interoception, and refines the theoretical model of bidirectional physical activity - interoception loop. Optimizing the interoceptive ability of healthy people through appropriate interventions including physical activity, and repairing the interoceptive function of interoceptively impaired patients are beneficial to their health behavior and disease management. Future research should further deepen the theoretical mechanisms and develop physical activity-based interventions to optimise individuals’ interoception, taking into account influences such as individual differences.
Deepening the construction of an independent knowledge system for mental health education in China requires focusing on three key concepts: “integration, innovation, and empowerment”. Integration serves as the foundation, guided by policy and institutional frameworks, strengthening top-level design, breaking down knowledge barriers across education, health, and social sectors, and promoting the integration and development of mental health knowledge and applications to ensure coverage of all populations and scenarios. Innovation is the core, rooted in cultural self-consciousness, subjectivity, and originality, moving away from reliance on Western theories, focusing on the generative logic of theories and terminology, and extracting new theories and constructing local terminology from Chinese culture and practice to ensure reflection of Chinese cultural genes and practical characteristics. Empowerment is the goal, achieved through innovating empirical research paradigms and constructing practice paradigms that integrate knowledge and action, realizing the implementation and feedback of knowledge, and ensuring the transition from theory to practice and from practice back to theory. It can be said that “integration, innovation, and empowerment” essentially represent the deepening process of constructing an independent knowledge system for mental health education in China.
In the context of Chinese “Double Reduction” policy, enhancing students’ social-emotional competence and alleviating academic burnout have become key issues in the field of education. To explore the bidirectional predictive relationship between these two factors and whether gender moderated the relationship, this study conducted three waves of follow-up surveys with 740 seventh-grade students and analyzed the data using the cross-lagged model. The results showed that: 1) Social-emotional competence gradually declined over time, while academic burnout gradually increased, with boys’ social-emotional competence being significantly higher than that of girls. 2) There was a significant bidirectional negative predictive effect between social-emotional competence and academic burnout. 3) Gender differences existed in the mutual predictive effects between social-emotional competence and academic burnout: a bidirectional predictive effect was observed among boys, whereas only a unidirectional predictive effect of academic burnout on social-emotional competence was found among girls. This study reveals the bidirectional predictive relationship between social-emotional competence and academic burnout among middle school students and gender differences in the relationship. The findings suggest that educational practice should focus on cultivating students’ social-emotional competence to alleviate academic burnout, while paying attention to gender differences.
Based on the Research Domain Criteria (RDoC) framework, this study investigated the relationship between core self-evaluations and non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) in adolescents, with a focus on the mediating role of insomnia severity and the moderating role of parental autonomy support. A total of 4,760 middle and high school students were recruited and completed a battery of well-validated scales, including the Adolescent Self-Harm Scale, Core Self-Evaluations Scale, Insomnia Severity Index, and Parental Autonomy Support Scale. The results demonstrated that: 1) core self-evaluations negatively predicted NSSI; 2) insomnia severity mediated the relationship between core self-evaluations and NSSI; and 3) parental autonomy support moderated the direct path, the second stage of the mediation pathway, and the overall indirect effect. These findings provide evidence-based guidance for developing tailored intervention strategies to address self-injury among adolescents.
Based on the cumulative risk model, this study aimed to evaluate the association between childhood cumulative trauma and depressive symptoms and to examine the mediating role of perceived stress in emerging adulthood. A total of 548 emerging adults were followed, with survey data collected over a one-year period. The results revealed that: 1) A linear relationship was found between cumulative childhood trauma and depressive symptoms in emerging adulthood, such that individuals with more cumulative traumatic experiences were more likely to exhibit depressive symptoms. 2) The direct predictive effect of cumulative childhood trauma on depressive symptoms was significant, whereas that of single childhood trauma was not significant. 3) Perceived stress was found to partially mediate the association between childhood trauma and depressive symptoms in emerging adulthood. It also mediated the predictive effects of both single and cumulative trauma on depressive symptoms.
Cheating is a prevalent form of unethical behavior in school settings. This study investigated the formation mechanism of students’ cheating intention by examining both situational and individual factors. Study 1 used questionnaire to measure 413 junior high school students, examining the relationship between school moral atmosphere, moral disengagement, and junior high school students’ cheating intention; Study 2 adopted scenario-based experimental design to manipulate school moral atmosphere and further examine its causal effect on students’ cheating intention, as well as the mediating role of moral disengagement. The results consistently showed that school moral atmosphere predicted middle school students’ intention to cheat, and moral disengagement mediated the relationship between school moral atmosphere and cheating intention. These findings suggest that efforts to reduce students’ cheating behavior and prevent the formation of cheating intentions should adopt a multifaceted approach, such as fostering a positive school moral atmosphere and diminishing the influence of moral disengagement.
