Non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) is a growing concern among adolescents, yet research on its association with alternative youth subcultures remains limited. Existing research explains subculture-NSSI links mainly through exposure/selection and individual needs, but lacks a sociotechnical account of how platform governance and institutional oversight condition when ACG-based participation becomes protective coping versus risk amplification. This study aims to explore the relationship between ACG subculture engagement and NSSI, drawing on four theoretical perspectives (i.e., Participatory Culture; Networked Youth Practises; Fandom, Identity and Affect; and Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs) to understand both protective and risk-enhancing functions of ACG subculture. Using a qualitative research approach, we conducted in-depth interviews with 20 Chinese adolescents who engaged in NSSI and participated in ACG subculture. Thematic analysis was used to identify recurring patterns in their experiences and perceptions. We found that participation in the ACG subculture can offer psychological safety, a sense of belonging, and increased self-esteem for adolescents. Meanwhile, it may also expose them to cyberbullying, social exclusion, and the normalisation of self-harming behaviours. To better conceptualise ACG subcultural participation among adolescents with NSSI, we proposed the Sociotechnical Mediation Model of ACG-Based Coping. These findings highlight the complex and dualistic nature of the ACG subculture's influence on mental health among adolescents with NSSI, offering important implications for developing targeted interventions to reduce NSSI.

Both problematic Internet use (PIU) and bullying perpetration are problem behaviors among adolescents, which exert an adverse influence on their psychosocial well-being. Although the problem behavior theory suggests an association between PIU and bullying perpetration, empirical studies investigating this link are limited. Additionally, little is known about the factors that moderate the strength of this association. This study used a multi-informant approach to investigate PIU’s associations with traditional and cyberbullying perpetration among Chinese adolescents and the moderating effects of students’ perceived school climate and gender on this association. A total of 751 students (Meanage = 12.89, 359 boys and 392 girls) in 7th and 8th grades from three middle schools in Chengdu, China completed measures of traditional bullying perpetration, cyberbullying perpetration, and perceived school climate. Their parents or guardians completed ratings on adolescents’ PIU. Results indicated that PIU was positively associated with traditional bullying and cyberbullying perpetration. Moreover, the risk association between PIU and traditional bullying perpetration was attenuated among adolescents who perceived a more positive school climate than those who perceived a less positive school climate. The risk association between PIU and traditional bullying perpetration was stronger among boys than girls. Findings highlight the importance of implementing school-wide and gender-sensitive prevention efforts to reduce bullying perpetration and address the negative impact of PIU.

School adaptation among high school students plays a pivotal role in their mental health. This study explored the associations between family functioning (T1), father-child and mother-child relationships (T2), self-directed learning (T3), and school adaptation (T4) in high school students. Using Ecological Systems Theory, Social Learning Theory, and Self-Determination Theory as its framework, this longitudinal study surveyed 1,348 high school students in Southwest China, with data collected at four time points: November 2020 (T1), September 2021 (T2), December 2021 (T3), and June 2022 (T4). The findings revealed that positive correlations exist among all variables. This study found several novel results. Parent-child relationships and self-directed learning served as chain mediators between family functioning and school adaptation. Compared to father-child relationships, mother-child relationships had a stronger positive impact on students’ self-directed learning. In contrast to mother-child relationships, father-child relationships exerted a greater positive impact on students’ school adaptation. Additionally, group analysis showed that, compared to girls, the father-child relationships had a stronger positive impact on boys’ school adaptation. Conversely, self-directed learning had a stronger positive impact on girls’ school adaptation than on boys. Accordingly, the study suggests several educational strategies to enhance high school students’ adaptation to school, including holding regular family meetings, involving students in household affairs, and encouraging joint decision-making. The chain mediation from family functioning to school adaptation involves both the father-child/mother-child relationships and self-directed learning. Compared to father-child relationships, mother-child relationships have a stronger positive impact on students’ self-directed learning. In contrast to mother-child relationships, father-child relationships exert a greater positive impact on students’ school adaptation. The influence of the father-child relationships on school adaptation is stronger for boys than for girls. Self-directed learning has a greater effect on school adaptation for girls compared to boys.

Interparental conflict is a well-established risk factor for adolescent well-being. However, the moderating role of teacher-student relationships on the longitudinal association between interparental conflict and adolescent well-being is unclear. Using a multilevel framework, this study employed a 4-wave longitudinal design over two years to examine the interaction between teacher-student relationships and interparental conflict in adolescent subjective well-being. Participants were 484 adolescents (Mage=14.33 years, SD = 1.62) from a secondary school in southwest China. The result indicated that adolescents who reported higher cumulative experiences of interparental conflicts also perceived significantly less subjective well-being than their peers who reported fewer conflicts in the past two years. Moreover, the teacher-student relationship at the between-person level buffered the adverse association of interparental conflicts with subjective well-being at the within-person level among middle school students. These findings suggest that persistent exposure to interparental conflicts was associated with individual differences in subjective well-being, and consistently perceived positive teacher-student relationships buffered the negative association of interparental conflicts with subjective well-being among early adolescents, highlighting the protective effects of quality teacher-student relationships across contexts.

To understand the mutual influences of family and school contexts on youth's at-risk online behaviors, this study investigated the concurrent and interactive influences of Internet-specific parenting practices and school climate perception on the problematic Internet use (PIU). A total of 988 Chinese middle school students (Mage = 12.86 years, 51% girls) completed measures of Internet-specific parenting practices (parental restrictive and active mediation), school climate, and PIU. The data analysis was conducted using multiple regression analysis and the moderating effect model in the PROCESS macro. Results indicated that parental active mediation was associated with lower levels of PIU among boys and girls, while parental restrictive mediation was associated with lower levels of PIU among girls. The interaction between school climate and parental active mediation was significantly associated with PIU only among boys. However, the interaction between school climate and parental restrictive mediation was not significantly associated with PIU among both boys and girls. These findings highlight the important roles of Internet-specific parenting practices, school climate, and gender in the development of PIU among early adolescents, suggesting that coordinated family-school efforts may be essential for effective prevention and intervention.

During the initial outbreak of COVID-19 in China in 2019 and 2020, the Wuhanese suffered tremendous public stigmatization. Why and how did the general public in China develop such strong feelings against the Wuhanese? To address these questions and understand the social forces underlying this phenomenon, a moral panic analysis was conducted. Using a mixed-method design, this research examined the scale and mechanisms of the public stigmatization of the Wuhanese as 'the folk devil' of a moral panic and identified the social factors (social media, the collective memory of SARS, and the influence of close relations) which produced and facilitated the initial panic and subsequent public stigmatization. Through its presentation and analysis of quantitative and qualitative data, this article explains how public stigmatization has served as an effective social control instrument in China during the COVID-19 outbreak, used to contain the disease, garner strong public support for the government authorities, legitimize extreme methods used to implement containment policies, and monitor and restrict the population.

Adolescent suicidal ideation is influenced by numerous risk and protective factors. However, the manner in which these factors jointly impact adolescent suicidal ideation remains unclear. This study used network analysis to evaluate the associations between common risk and protective factors and suicidal ideation among adolescents, and to identify the key pathways connecting them. The study included 1992 adolescents aged 12-18 years from 13 Chinese middle schools, and scores on several scales (evaluating Psychological Suzhi, Positive and Negative Emotions, Perceived Social Support, Suicidal Ideation, Negative Life Events) were used to construct a network model. We constructed two models: a regularized partial correlation network and a Bayesian directed acyclic graph (DAG). The findings were as follows: (1) family support, significant others' support and positive emotions negatively predicted suicidal ideation among adolescents, while other life events and negative emotions positively predicted suicidal ideation. (2) Being punished and relationship stress indirectly enhanced suicidal ideation. (3) The cognitive quality of Psychological Suzhi was located upstream and had an important influence on the entire network according to the DAG. (4) Suicidal ideation was a terminal node.

Parental involvement and teacher support have protective effects on adolescents’ externalizing behaviors. However, few studies investigated their interaction on externalizing behaviors among Chinese adolescents from divorced families. Guided by the stress-buffering theory, this cross-sectional study investigated the interactive effects between parental divorce, parental involvement, and teacher support on adolescents’ externalizing behaviors among Chinese adolescents. Participants were the nationally representative sample of 8218 Chinese students (Mage = 14.51 years, SD = 0.68 years; including 560 students from divorced families and 7658 students from intact families). Parental involvement, teacher support, and externalizing behaviors were primarily measured by related items in a student-reported questionnaire. Results indicated that: (1) adolescents from divorced families had lower levels of parental involvement and higher levels of externalizing behaviors compared with adolescents from intact families; (2) teacher support had stronger protective effect on externalizing behaviors among adolescents from divorced families compared with adolescents from intact families; (3) the interactive effect between parental involvement and teacher support on externalizing behaviors was significant among adolescents from divorced families, but not significant for adolescents from intact families. These findings support the stress-buffering model of social support, and have important practical implications for preventing externalizing behaviors among adolescents from divorced families.

EDITORIAL article Front. Psychiatry, 08 January 2024Sec. Digital Mental Health Volume 14 - 2023 | https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2023.1349082

Limited meta-analytical research has examined the epidemiology of child sexual abuse (CSA) victimization among Chinese children and adolescents over the past two decades. It is crucial to evaluate how the incidence of CSA has changed over time in response to the significant policy and sociocultural changes since 2013. This study employed a cross-temporal meta-analysis to explore the trend of CSA victimization among Chinese children and adolescents from 2000 to 2022. A total of 39 studies (72 independent samples, 83,318 participants, Mage = 15.77 years) using three questionnaires for CSA victimization (Chen Jingqi's scale, Childhood Trauma Questionnaire-Short Form, or Xiang Bing's scale) were identified through a systematic literature search. A meta-analysis was performed using random-effects models on Comprehensive Meta-Analysis version 3.0 software. Results indicated that the overall prevalence of CSA victimization from 2000 to 2022 was 16.4%, with distinct differences between genders (15.0% for girls and 18.1% for boys). Moreover, the prevalence for girls decreased significantly after 2013 (12.2%) compared to before 2013 (18.9%), whereas the prevalence for boys remained relatively stable between 2013 and 2022 (19.4%) and 2000 to 2012 (16.2%). After controlling participants' age, the prevalence of CSA victimization for both girls and boys showed a decreasing trend from 2013 to 2022, while no significant change was observed from 2000 to 2012. These findings underscore the importance of considering gender in CSA research and prevention efforts. They also suggest that increased sociocultural awareness and policy changes post-2013 may have contributed to protecting girls from CSA victimization, though similar benefits were not as evident for boys.

There is robust evidence that social relationships are positively associated with self-esteem, but little is known about how changes in social relationships and self-esteem are associated within individuals. This longitudinal study examined the within-person association between social relationships and self-esteem and the association across developmental stages and gender. A total of 1,240 middle and high school Chinese students (636 girls; initial Mage = 13.4 years) completed measures of self-esteem and paternal, maternal, peer attachment, and teacher-student relationship three times over one year (five-month and six-month interval). Random intercept cross-lagged panel models indicated that bidirectional, within-person association between social relationships and self-esteem among adolescents varied depending on relationship sources, developmental stages, and gender. Specifically, within-person effects indicated that increases in social relationships predicted increases in self-esteem among early adolescents, while increases in self-esteem predicted increases in social relationships among middle adolescents. Moreover, within-person effects suggested that increases in maternal attachment and teacher-student relationship predicted increases in self-esteem among early male adolescents, while increases in teacher-student relationships and paternal attachment predicted increases in self-esteem among early female adolescents. These findings have important theoretical implications regarding the association between self-esteem and social relationships in adolescents and practical implications for improving adolescents’ self-esteem and social relationships.

Introduction This study validated a Chinese Parental Psychological Control Scale (CPPCS) among secondary school students in mainland China. Methods The item pool consisting of 65 items was constructed based on consultation with existing measures and focus group interviews of 19 Chinese adolescents. After content validation conducted by 14 experts, a total of 40 items were retained and subject to further factorial validation based on a sample of 963 Chinese adolescents (mean age = 13.39 ± 0.72; 52.23% females). Results Using the two random-split half samples, exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses retained 30 items that loaded on three factors, including “relational induction” (twelve items), “harsh psychological control” (twelve items), and “social comparison shame” (six items). The three-factor structure was invariant across gender (male versus female) and grades (grade 7 versus grade 8) among the whole sample. Cronbach’s αs of the three dimensions in maternal and paternal subscales ranged between 0.89 and 0.92, suggesting adequate internal consistency. The three dimensions were significantly correlated with each other, supporting the scale’s convergent validity. The concurrent validity of the CPPCS was supported by the positive correlations between subscales and parental rejection, and the negative correlations between subscales and parental warmth. In addition, while the “harsh psychological control” and “social comparison shame” negatively predicted adolescents’ well-being, “relational induction” positively predicted adolescents’ well-being. Discussion The findings suggest that the CPPCS is a promising instrument for measuring multidimensional psychological control among Chinese parents and for investigating and comparing individual dimensions’ effect on adolescents’ development.

目的:考察集体主义文化背景下贵州省幼儿教师心理解脱的潜在类别以及其对工作投入的影响,为提升幼儿教师的工作投入提供理论依据.方法:采用整群抽样的方法,于2022年4月选取贵州省铜仁市各区县596名幼儿教师为调查对象,采用心理解脱量表与工作投入量表对其进行横断面调查,采用潜在剖面分析的方法构建心理解脱的不同潜在类别,并采用多元线性回归分析心理解脱对工作投入的影响.结果:幼儿教师心理解脱存在4种潜在类别:低水平心理解脱组(18.2％)、中水平心理解脱组(31.2％)、较高水平心理解脱组(22.2％)、高水平心理解脱组(19.0％).与(无、初级以中级)职称、(中专及以下、本科)学历、以及工资收入(3000元以下、3001～4000元以及5001元以上)的幼儿教师相比,高级职称、在编与收入处于4001～5000元的幼儿教师均是低心理解脱占比最高,高水平心理解脱占比最低;而大专学历幼儿教师高水平心理解脱占比最高,低水平心理解脱占比最低.与低水平心理解脱组相比,中水平、较高水平以及高水平心理解脱组均能负向预测工作投入(β=-0.25,-0.37,-0.51;P<0.001);还对工作投入的工作价值(β=-0.19,-0.35,-0.47)、工作责任(β=-0.22,-0.47,-0.81)、工作愉悦(β=-0.25,-0.45,-0.43)与工作专注(β=-0.18,-0.38,-0.27)具有负向预测作用(P<0.001).结论:幼儿教师心理解脱存在4种潜在类别,集体主义文化背景下贵州省幼儿教师心理解脱对工作投入具有负向预测作用.

Although school climate plays an important role in the development of adolescent prosocial behaviors and problem behaviors, little is known about the mechanisms underlying school climate's impact on such behaviors, particularly in Chinese adolescents. This study used a multi-informant approach to investigate the mediating role of social-emotional learning (SEL) competencies on the association of school climate with prosocial behaviors and problem behaviors (i.e., internalizing and externalizing behaviors) among Chinese adolescents. A total of 699 students (M-age = 12.89 years, SD = 0.70) in 7th and 8th grades from three middle schools in Chengdu, China completed measures of perceived school climate and SEL competencies. Their guardians also completed ratings on adolescent prosocial and problem behaviors. As predicted, while perceived school climate was positively associated with adolescent prosocial behaviors, it was negatively related to adolescent internalizing and externalizing behaviors. Analyses using PROCESS further showed that SEL competencies mediated the relationship between perceived school climate and adolescent behaviors. The findings underscored the importance of promoting positive school climate as well as SEL competencies to foster positive adolescent development.

Previous research has found a significant association between parent-child attachment and gratitude, while the directionality of this association and its potential mechanisms remain unclear. This study examined the longitudinal associations between parent-child attachment, gratitude, and perceived parental communal strength, which is adolescents’ perception of their parents’ willingness to make sacrifices to provide care and meet their needs. A total of 1348 adolescents and one of their parents ( M age = 12.96, SD = 0.70 years; 51.3% girls) participated in this three-wave study, with a six-month lag. The results of the cross-lagged panel models showed that attachment anxiety and avoidance negatively predicted adolescents’ gratitude after six months. Perceived parental communal strength mediated the longitudinal effects of attachment anxiety and avoidance on gratitude. However, the impact of gratitude on perceived parental communal strength and parent-child attachment was non-significant. The findings suggest that adolescents with insecure parent-child attachment have negative perceptions of their parents, which could contribute to their lack of gratitude. Adolescents’ negative perceptions of their parents are crucial for understanding the mechanisms underlying the lack of gratitude observed in adolescents with insecure parent-child attachment.

采用整体抽样的方法,选取贵州省三所高职高专1200名学前教育专业学生作为调查对象;探讨个体因素(物质主义价值观)和学校因素(感知班级氛围)对高职学前专业学生关系攻击的影响.结果发现:高职学前专业学生物质主义价值观得分为(2.22±0.67),感知班级氛围平均得分为(3.39±0.63),关系攻击平均得分为(1.57±0.64);女生在主动关系攻击、班级氛围得分上高于男生,男生与城镇学生在物质主义价值观上得分高于女生与农村学生;物质主义价值观与关系攻击呈正相关,班级氛围与关系攻击呈负相关;物质主义与班级氛围对主动关系攻击的交互作用显著;对被关系攻击的交互作用也显著.

Although Western studies showed that participation in extracurricular activities was intimately linked to adolescents' psychological adjustment, very few studies have addressed this issue among early adolescents in China. Based on a nationally representative sample of 9672 Chinese junior high school students (M-age = 14.54 years, SD = 0.70 years), this study investigated the relationship between participation in different extracurricular activities and depressive symptoms among Chinese early adolescents, and the moderating role of gender and family economic status. Results indicated that time spent completing homework, attending extracurricular tutoring, and playing online games after school was positively related to students' depressive symptoms, whereas time spent on participating in physical exercise was negatively associated with students' depressive symptoms. Besides, the relationships between after-school activities participation and student depressive symptoms were moderated by gender and family economic status. The theoretical and practical implications for the arrangement of after-school activities for Chinese early adolescents are discussed.

目的:探讨青少年无聊感与校园欺凌的关系,并分析善良人格在二者关系间的中介作用,以期为青少年校园欺凌行为的干预指导提供相关理论依据.方法:采用多维状态无聊量表、善良人格量表以及校园欺凌量表对贵州省铜仁市1500名中学生进行问卷调查.结果:①青少年校园欺凌检出率为47.37％,其中低欺凌32.3％、中欺凌10.4％、高欺凌4.67％;②男生、独生子女与城镇学生在无聊感得分上分别高于女生、非独生子女以及农村学生(t=3.61,3.50,3.46;P＜0.01),女生与独生子女在善良人格得分上显著高于男生与非独生子女(t=3.89,4.12;P＜0.01),男生在校园欺凌得分显著高于女生(t=3.47;P＜0.01);③无聊感与善良人格呈显著负相关(r=-0.29,P＜0.01),无聊感与校园欺凌显著正相关(r=0.24,P＜0.01),善良人格与校园欺凌呈显著负相关(r＝-0.27,P＜0.01).④善良人格在无聊感与校园欺凌之间起部分中介作用,中介效应占总效应的30.67％.结论:青少年无聊感可以直接影响校园欺凌,也可以通过善良人格的中介作用对校园欺凌产生影响.

BackgroundCancer is a major cause of death in China, accounting for 2·56 million deaths in the country in 2018 alone. Yet, on that year, only 28 600 patients (1·1%) at the end of life received palliative care. Existing studies in palliative care have mainly been done in medical environments. The aim of this study was to focus instead on the general public and to identify the public's perceptions of, and demand for, various palliative care services, as well as barriers to palliative care in China.MethodsA convergent mixed-methods design was used to facilitate an understanding of the Chinese public's knowledge of palliative care services and the demand for palliative care. An interdisciplinary team of scholars and practitioners worked collaboratively to develop a contextually and culturally relevant questionnaire for the public in China (named KNPCP-1) to explore these issues. Quantitative and qualitative evaluation phases in the development of KNPCP-1 ensured its high validity. We did cross-over comparison analyses of the findings from the quantitative survey (conducted using KNPCP-1). Stata version 17.2 and NVivo version 12.6.1 were used for data analysis.Findings6120 people completed the qualitative surveys, and 19 survey respondents and 20 medical staff were also interviewed. No significant difference in knowledge of palliative care and general need for various palliative care services was found between men and women. A greater demand for palliative care services was found among rural respondents than among their urban counterparts. Convergent analysis indicates that factors or mechanisms associated with the low availability of palliative care services include scarce knowledge about palliative care, a cultural taboo around death, factors related to patient–clinician conflict, and the pressure on adult children to fulfil their filial duty of care for elderly parents.InterpretationSeveral factors contribute to the low availability of palliative care services in China despite recent governmental awareness campaigns. Innovative and culturally sensitive approaches are needed to promote palliative care services in relation to the factors synthesised from the analysis.FundingMinistry of Education of China, Youth Project of Humanities and Social Sciences (project number 20XJC840001); China Postdoctoral Science Foundation (project number 2021M691521); and 2020 Young Teacher Development Project of the Chinese Universities Scientific Fund (project number 230600001002020030).

目的:分析粗暴养育对贵州省高职生负面评价恐惧的影响,并探讨羞怯与社会自我效能感在粗暴养育与负面评价恐惧之间的链式中介作用.方法:采用分层整群抽样方法,选取贵州省铜仁市与贵阳市3所高职高专院校1520名学生作为调查对象,采用粗暴养育量表、羞怯量表、社会自我效能感以及负面评价恐惧量表进行问卷调查.结果:粗暴养育平均得分为2.49,其中重度粗暴养育(4.5％)、中度粗暴养育(37.1％)、轻度粗暴养育(58.4％).负面评价恐惧平均得分为3.04,其中高负面评价恐惧(3.6％)、中负面评价恐惧(90.4％)、低负面评价恐惧(6.0％).女生在母亲粗暴养育得分上显著高于男生,独生子女与城镇学生在父母粗暴养育得分上分别高于非独生子女与农村学生(t=3.12,1.97,2.03;P＜0.05).粗暴养育对负面评价恐惧的影响通过3条中介效应实现:羞怯的中介作用(27.5％)、社会自我效能感的中介作用(29.2％)、羞怯与社会自我效能感的链式中介作用(13％).结论:粗暴养育能显著预测高职生的负面评价恐惧,羞怯与社会自我效能感在二者之间起链式中介作用.