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BackgroundThe COVID-19 epidemic may elevate mental distress and depressive symptoms in various populations in China. ObjectiveThis study investigates the levels of depression and mental distress due to COVID-19, and the associations between cognitive, behavioral, and psychosocial factors, and depression and mental distress due to COVID-19 among university students in China. MethodsA large-scale online cross-sectional study (16 cities in 13 provinces) was conducted among university students from February 1 to 10, 2020, in China; 23,863 valid questionnaires were returned. The Patient Health Questionnaire-9 was used to assess depression. Structural equation modeling was performed to test mediation and suppression effects. ResultsOf the 23,863 participants, 47.1% (n=11,235) reported high or very high levels of one or more types of mental distress due to COVID-19; 39.1% (n=9326) showed mild to severe depression. Mental distress due to COVID-19 was positively associated with depression. All but one factor (perceived infection risks, perceived chance of controlling the epidemic, staying at home, contacted people from Wuhan, and perceived discrimination) were significantly associated with mental distress due to COVID-19 and depression. Mental distress due to COVID-19 partially mediated and suppressed the associations between some of the studied factors and depression (effect size of 6.0%-79.5%). ConclusionsBoth mental distress due to COVID-19 and depression were prevalent among university students in China; the former may have increased the prevalence of the latter. The studied cognitive, behavioral, and psychosocial factors related to COVID-19 may directly or indirectly (via mental distress due to COVID-19) affect depression. Interventions to modify such factors may reduce mental distress and depressive symptoms during the COVID-19 epidemic.

Bullying is a growing concern in China, yet there are few validated scales designed to measure different types of bullying among Chinese children. In this present study, a bilingual team of researchers use a forward-backward translation process to adapt the Bullying, Harassment, and Aggression Receipt Measure (BullyHARM) for Chinese youth. BullyHARM has previously been shown to be a reliable scale for measuring six bullying domains (i.e., physical, verbal, social/relational, cyber, property, sexual) among children in the United States (US). After cultural and linguistic adaptation, we enrolled 397 middle school students from Beijing, China in a validation study to assess the psychometric properties of the new BullyHARM-China scale. Results of confirmatory factor analysis suggest the final 21-item scale displays strong internal consistency. Consistent with findings from the US, the first-order model of six factors (i.e., six bullying subscales) displays the best fit to the data. Our findings suggest that BullyHARM-China is a reliable tool for measuring bullying victimization among Chinese students.

Before herd immunity is reached, preventive practices still play an important role in controlling the COVID-19 pandemic. Adherence to preventive behaviors could be determined by individuals' health beliefs, which would be influenced by antecedent factors such as previous exposure to pandemic stressors. Applying the health belief model (HBM), this study aims to examine the mediation association among COVID-19 stressors, HBM constructs, and preventive behaviors. Longitudinal data were collected from 1225 Chinese college students using web-based surveys at wave 1 (w1; between January 31 and February 11, 2020) and wave 2 (w2; between March 20 and April 3, 2020). Participants reported their COVID-19 stressors (w1), five HBM constructs (w2), and preventive behaviors (w1 and w2). Paired t-tests suggested that social distancing and self-quarantine behaviors decreased while precautionary behaviors increased from w1 to w2. Path analysis indicated that two HBM constructs (perceived barriers and self-efficacy) mediated the association between COVID-19 stressors and precautionary behaviors. These findings suggested that tailored prevention intervention for college students should attend to perceived barriers and self-efficacy. Individuals who exposed to multiple pandemic stressors merit particular attention and intervention should account for their early pandemic stress experiences., Author(s): Cheuk Chi Tam [sup.1] , Xiaoyan Li [sup.2] [sup.3] , Xiaoming Li [sup.1] , Yuyan Wang [sup.2] [sup.3] , Danhua Lin [sup.2] [sup.3] Author Affiliations: (1) grid.254567.7, 0000 0000 [...]

Previous studies indicate that parental psychological control and behavioral control play crucial roles in the positive development of adolescents. However, little is known about the underlying mechanism of the associations between parental psychological control and behavioral control and positive youth development (PYD). The present study sought to examine the role of basic psychological needs satisfaction as a mediator of the association between parental psychological control and behavioral control and PYD. Two-wave longitudinal data were collected from a sample of 783 young Chinese adolescents (427 boys, M.sub.age = 10.87, SD.sub.age = .94) who enrolled in three primary schools in Beijing, China. Results of structural equation modeling indicated that basic psychological needs satisfaction mediated the associations between parental psychological control and behavioral control and PYD six months later. Moreover, results of multiple-group invariance analysis indicated no gender differences in the indirect effects of parental psychological control and behavioral control on PYD six months later through basic psychological needs satisfaction. Implications for future research and practices for parents and school practitioners are discussed., Author(s): Juan Cao [sup.1] , Xiaoyan Li [sup.1] , Zhi Ye [sup.2] , Mingjun Xie [sup.1] [sup.3] , Danhua Lin [sup.1] Author Affiliations: (1) grid.20513.35, 0000 0004 1789 9964, Institute [...]

Left‐behind children are likely to experience peer victimization, which can have detrimental consequences in their developmental outcomes. Yet, limited longitudinal research have examined peer victimization trajectories over time or the factors associated with left‐behind children in China. The purpose of the present study was to examine what, if any, distinct trajectories of peer victimization exist among left‐behind children and whether these trajectories are related to school climate, left‐behind status, and their interactions. Participants were 853 Chinese left‐behind children (Mage = 14.25, SD = 2.39; 43.4% girls) who participated in a four‐wave longitudinal study conducted in rural China. Participants reported school climate (indexed by safety and order, acceptance and support, equality and fairness, autonomy and cooperation) at T1 and peer victimization across T1 to T4 spanning 2 years. Latent class growth analyses identified four peer victimization trajectories, including a stably low‐decreasing group, a moderate‐decreasing group, a high‐decreasing group, and an increasing group. Multinomial logistic regression analyses revealed that children who perceived more positive school climate were more likely to exhibit a stably low‐decreasing trajectory compared to the other three groups. In addition, among left‐behind children who perceived more positive school climate, children with single‐parent migrating were more likely to be members of the stably low‐decreasing group as compared to those with both‐parent migrating. Peer victimization among left‐behind children is a concern especially for those who were left behind by both parents and perceived less positive school climate. Targeted school‐based interventions and services focused on reducing peer victimization and improving school climate are needed for left‐behind children, especially those with both‐parent migrating. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Migrant children reached 35.81 million in China and were vulnerable to serious emotional problems including depression. The present study aimed to identify the family and individual risk and protective factors for depression in an at-risk sample of Chinese migrant children. Participants were 368 children (9.47 ± 1.46 years old, 73.4% boys) who had at least one symptom of Oppositional Defiant Disorder symptoms (ODD) and their parents in Mainland China. Risk and protective factors within both family (i.e., family maltreatment and family functioning) and individual (i.e., automatic thoughts and resilience) perspectives. Family maltreatment and negative automatic thoughts served as risk factors in relation to children's depression. Further, automatic thoughts mediated the relationship between family maltreatment and children's depression. Family functioning (cohesion, but bot adaptability) and individual resilience could buffer the effects of risk factors in the Structure Emotion Model such that both cohesion and resilience moderated the relationship between family maltreatment and children's automatic thoughts only. Our findings highlighted the urgent need to decrease risk factors and increase protective factors of both family and child individual characteristics in prevention and intervention depression among migrant children with ODD symptoms in China.

Students commonly struggle with academic failure. Innovative interventions aimed at improving the essential components of academic success are therefore needed. The aim of this study was to test whether teaching a growth mindset of intelligence (the belief that intelligence is malleable and can be developed) could improve students' attitudes towards failure and academic outcomes. In particular, we explored whether students' perceived parental beliefs about failure influenced the effect of a growth mindset intervention. We tested the 8‐session growth mindset intervention in a sample of 1766 Chinese primary school students (age M = 10.61; SD =.99). Measures of mindset of intelligence, failure belief, positive strategies, and academic achievement were completed at baseline (T1) and 3‐month follow‐up (T2). In comparison to the control group, students in the intervention group reported a stronger growth mindset of intelligence at 3‐month follow‐up, which in turn indirectly increased their positive failure belief and inclinations of positive strategies when facing failures. Moreover, these beneficial effects of the growth mindset intervention were sustained only when students perceived relatively more supportive parental beliefs about failure. Additionally, the growth mindset intervention to some extent protected students' academic achievement from a downward trajectory at follow‐up. Collectively, the findings highlight the promising effects of a growth mindset intervention on students' academic‐related outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

College students who experienced somatic symptoms during the COVID‐19 pandemic may engage in rumination, but their bidirectional nature remains underexplored. Symptom perception theory suggests a reciprocal relationship between rumination and somatic symptoms, and the multiple‐stressor perspective and the perseverative cognition hypothesis assume that the reciprocal association might be exacerbated by high stress. In this study, we examined temporal associations between rumination and somatic symptoms and variations by patterns of stress related to COVID‐19 and daily hassles. A total of 582 Chinese college students provided daily reports on rumination, somatic symptoms, COVID‐related stress, and daily hassles for seven consecutive days in November 2020. A cross‐lagged panel model showed a positive reciprocal association between rumination and somatic symptoms. Greater rumination predicted more next‐day somatic symptoms, and more somatic symptoms increased next‐day rumination. Dual trajectory analysis identified four stress patterns of COVID‐related stress and daily hassles (i.e. low‐low, low‐high, high‐low, and high‐high), and multi‐group analysis found the reciprocal association only presented in the high‐high group. Our findings indicate a vicious circle between rumination and somatic symptoms that is dependent on heterogeneous stress patterns. Attention should be paid to the high‐risk group with both high levels of COVID‐related stress and daily hassles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

People who believe that their socioeconomic status (SES) can be changed—with growth mindset or incremental implicit theory of SES—tend to have better psychological well‐being. Nevertheless, it remains unclear on why growth mindset of SES benefits well‐being. The present research aims to answer this question by investigating the longitudinal associations between mindset of SES and well‐being (i.e. depression and anxiety) and a potential mechanism (i.e. self‐esteem). We recruited 600 adults in Guangzhou, China, as participants in this study. Participants completed a list of questionnaires containing measures of mindset of SES, self‐esteem, depression, and anxiety at three time points over the course of 18 months. The cross‐lagged panel model showed that individuals holding a growth mindset of SES reported significantly lower depression and anxiety 1 year later, but the effect was not sustained later. More importantly, self‐esteem accounted for the associations of mindset of SES with both depression and anxiety, such that individuals with growth mindset of SES had higher self‐esteem, and in turn, demonstrated lower depression and anxiety over 18 months. These findings deepen the understanding of the salutary effects of implicit theories of SES on psychological well‐being. Implications for future research and mindset‐related interventions are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The global literature has revealed that cultural orientation, adaptation and social capital may influence HIV-related sexual behaviours among migrants. However, whether cultural orientations influence adaptation and social capital and thereby affect sexual behaviour is not well understood. Method: This study examined whether individualistic and collectivistic orientations, adaptation and social capital have direct and indirect effects on condom use among rural-to-urban migrants in China. We collected data from 641 migrants aged 17 to 30 years, in Beijing, China. Participants completed scales on individualistic orientation, collectivistic orientation, adaptation, social capital and condom use. Structural equation modelling was used for model testing. Results: Condom use was positively associated with an individualistic orientation and social capital. An individualistic orientation had an indirect effect on condom use via social capital. Women reported higher levels of condom use than men. Conclusion: Future sexual risk prevention and intervention programmes to improve sexual health should pay more attention to building social capital and engaging with relevant cultural factors.

College students are vulnerable to psychological distress during COVID-19 due to pandemic-related stressors. In response to psychological distress, college students engage in various coping behaviors, such as self-care behaviors and substance use. The transactional model of stress and coping depicts a cognitive appraisal process in the stress-coping association. Psychological resilience is an essential factor for the cognitive appraisal. This study aimed to investigate the mediation effects of resilience on psycho-behavioral health in response to COVID-19 stressors. Longitudinal data were collected from 1,225 Chinese college students via web-based anonymous surveys at wave 1 (T1, between Jan 31 and Feb 11, 2020) and wave 2 (T2, between Mar 20 and Apr 3, 2020). Participants reported their COVID-19 stressors (T1), resilience (T1), psychological distress (depression and anxiety; T2), and coping behaviors (self-care behaviors, drinking, and smoking; T2). Path analysis was used for data analyses. Resilience mediated the association between COVID-19 stressors and psychological distress. Resilience together with psychological distress mediated the association of COVID-19 stressors with self-care behaviors or drinking. Resilience appears to offer protection that promotes psycho-behavioral health in college students in the face of COVID-19 stressors. Interventions for college students should attend to resilience. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Peer victimization is detrimental to child mental health. Research has indicated a reciprocal relationship between peer victimization and mental health problems. Yet limited evidence was from children and adolescents in China. The present study used the random intercepts cross‐lagged panel model (RI‐CLPM) to examine both between‐person and within‐person associations between peer victimization and depressive symptoms among Chinese children and adolescents. Participants were 1205 Chinese students (Mage = 11.27 years; ranged from 9 to 15 years; SD = 1.75; 55% boys) who completed four surveys (Time 1 to Time 4) between 2017 and 2019 on demographics, peer victimization, and depressive symptoms. At the between‐person level, peer victimization was positively associated with depressive symptoms. Controlling for between‐person effects, RI‐CLPM suggested positive within‐person effects from peer victimization to depressive symptoms across adjacent waves. The model also suggested a positive within‐person effect from Time 2 depressive symptoms to Time 3 peer victimization. The multi‐group analysis showed that these effects did not differ by gender, age, or subjective socioeconomic status. Peer victimization and depression appear to be reciprocally related at the transitioning period between late childhood and early adolescence in Chinese students. Mental health interventions should attend to peer victimization for children and adolescents in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

How can we help Chinese youth thrive? To begin to address this question, the present study explored the promotive factors (i.e., the individual strengths and environmental assets) that enhance Chinese youths' healthy development. Interviews were conducted with Chinese adolescents (n = 12), their teachers (n = 12), and their parents (n = 20). Findings highlight six individual strengths, including goal setting, sparks, self-reliance, goal-oriented hard work, self-improvement, and intention to contribute, and four categories of environmental assets, including supportive relational networks, rules and expectations, opportunities and activities, and promotive climates. Some of the promotive factors that emerged are similar to ones identified as relevant to western youth, and others appear to be particular to Chinese youth. Findings have important implications for researchers, practitioners, and policymakers interested in supporting the healthy development of Chinese adolescents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]