BackgroundSelf-concept clarity is an important factor in the mental health of college students. While existing research has examined the positive relationship between self-compassion (self-kindness, mindfulness, and common humanity) and self-concept clarity, the mechanisms underlying this relationship need further investigation. This study aimed to integrate variable- and person-centered approaches to examine the relationship between self-compassion and self-concept clarity and explore the possible mediating role of resilience.MethodsData from 1,353 Chinese college students were collected in December 2023 using the revised Chinese versions of the Self-Compassion Scale (SCS), Self-Concept Clarity Scale (SCCS), and the Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale-10 (CD-RISC-10). Simple mediation and latent profile analyses were performed using SPSS 26.0 and Mplus 7.0.ResultsThe variable-centered analysis showed that resilience played a mediating role in the relationship between self-compassion and self-concept clarity and between the three components of self-compassion and self-concept clarity. When resilience was included in the mediation model, common humanity had the strongest direct effect on self-concept clarity, and resilience played the strongest mediating role in the mindfulness pathway. As a further supplement to variable-centered results, person-centered analysis showed that the sample could be classified into three latent profiles, with the high self-compassion profile showing the highest resilience and self-concept clarity. Additionally, when the low self-compassion profile was used as the reference, resilience still played a relatively mediating role in the vulnerable and high profiles, but a direct relationship between self-compassion and self-concept clarity was only found in the high-profile.ConclusionThis study highlights the important role of self-compassion and resilience in promoting self-concept clarity and necessitates the design of subgroup-specific intervention programs for students in the future.

Relational aggression refers to a type of adolescent aggressive behavior that seriously endangers adolescents'mental health and development. The aim of this study was to reveal the role of perceived social support in the relationship between psychological suzhi and adolescents'relational aggressive behavior. A total of 502 adolescents from Southwestern China participated in the questionnaire survey, including 252 boys, 230 girls, and 20 adolescents who did not disclose their gender. Their mean age was 13.20 years. The results showed that there were significant correlations between psychological suzhi, perceived social support, and relational aggression among adolescents. Psychological suzhi had both direct and indirect effects on adolescents'relational aggression, and perceived social support was an important mediator between psychological suzhi and adolescent aggressive behavior. Psychological suzhi could enable adolescents to perceive more social support and thus reduce the risk of them attacking others'interpersonal relationships.

Medical students face a heightened risk of mental health challenges, including elevated stress, depression, and anxiety, compared to their peers. Recent studies have shown that mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs) can improve mental health and Life satisfaction among medical students. This study aimed to examine the effects of a 7-week mindfulness-based intervention incorporating stabilization techniques on reducing perceived stress, fostering posttraumatic growth, enhancing mindfulness, and improving life satisfaction among medical students. A total of 94 medical students with moderate to high levels of perceived stress from a medical university in Southwest China were randomly assigned to either a 7-week mindfulness-based intervention (MBI) group or a wait-list control (WLC) group. Assessments were conducted using the Chinese version of the Perceived Stress Scale (CPSS-14), Posttraumatic Growth Inventory (PTGI), Mindful Attention Awareness Scale (MAAS), and Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS) at baseline (T0), post-intervention (T1), and 1-month follow-up (T2). No significant differences were observed in demographics (age, gender, and grade) and measured variables between the MBI group and the WLC group at baseline (T0), indicating similar demographic and psychological profiles. Significant improvements were noted in perceived stress, posttraumatic growth, mindfulness, and life satisfaction in the MBI group compared to the WLC group. Specifically, the MBI significantly reduced perceived stress (p < 0.01) and improved life satisfaction (p < 0.05) in the MBI group compared to the WLC group at 1-month follow-up (T2). The MBI group also showed significant enhancements at post-intervention (T1) and 1-month follow-up (T2) in the total PTGI (p < 0.05, p < 0.01), interpersonal relationships (p < 0.05, p < 0.01), new possibilities (p < 0.05, p < 0.05), and personal strength (p = 0.055, p < 0.05). The MBI group exhibited a significant improvement in mindfulness levels compared to the WLC group at post-intervention (T1) (p < 0.05). The MBI is effective in managing stress, promoting posttraumatic growth, and enhancing mindfulness and life satisfaction among medical students. These findings highlight the potential benefits of integrating MBI into medical education to support the mental health of medical students. This study was not preregistered.

Attachment theory and the evolutionary theory of loneliness collectively offer a framework for understanding how attachment dimensions (anxiety and avoidance) relate to loneliness. Despite extensive research, findings on this association have been inconsistent, with correlation coefficients ranging from positive to negative. To address this variability, a total of 171 effect sizes (Pearson's r coefficients) were extracted from 76 studies (N = 40,688). Most studies provided cross-sectional data (k* = 75). Results revealed positive correlations between both attachment dimensions and loneliness, with attachment anxiety demonstrating a stronger medium correlation (r = 0.399) than attachment avoidance (r = 0.318). Cultural orientation, age, and attachment measures moderated these relationships. Overall, these findings provide robust evidence linking attachment dimensions to loneliness, offering a theoretical foundation and practical insights for developing evidence-based interventions to alleviate loneliness.

Objective Military personnel,as a group executing special missions,have sleep health that directly affects psychological adaptability and combat effectiveness.Sleep reactivity is a key indicator reflecting an individual's vulnerability to sleep disturbances under stress or stimulation.However,existing studies have mostly adopted a variable-centered perspective,neglecting the possible heterogeneous categories of sleep reactivity within the military population,and the moderating mechanisms of different categories in the emotion-sleep relationship remain unclear.This study aims to explore the latent categories of sleep reactivity in military personnel and analyze the moderating effects of different categories on the relationship between emotional states and sleep quality.Methods A cross-sectional study design was adopted.A total of 1 352 military personnel from a certain unit were recruited as participants using convenience sampling from March to April 2025.The survey instruments included Ford Insomnia Response to Stress Test-Chinese Version(FIRST-C),Positive Affect Subscale from the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule(PANAS),Anxiety subscale from the Depression Anxiety Stress Scales(DASS),and the Insomnia Severity Index(ISI).Spearman correlation analysis was used to examine the correlations among the study variables;Latent profile analysis(LPA)was employed to explore the latent categories of sleep reactivity in military personnel;Analysis of variance(ANOVA)was utilized to compare differences in sleep problems,positive affect,and anxiety among military personnel with different categories of sleep reactivity.Interaction terms were constructed to analyze the moderating effects of the high,moderate,and low reactivity groups in the relationship between positive affect and sleep,as well as between anxiety and sleep,Results Sleep reactivity was significantly positively correlated with total ISI score(r=0.546,95％CI:0.506 to 0.583,P＜0.01)and anxiety(r=0.390,95％CI:0.343 to 0.436,P＜0.01),and also negatively correlated with positive affect(r=-0.309,95％CI:-0.358 to=0.259,P＜0.01).Total ISI score was negatively correlated with positive affect(r=-0.348,95％CI:-0.396 to-0.299,P＜0.01),and positively with anxiety(r=0.454,95％CI:0.410 to 0.497,P＜0.01).Positive affect was negatively correlated with anxiety(r=-0.364,95％CI:-0.410 to-0.315,P＜0.01).Sleep reactivity among military personnel could be classified into 3 categories:high,moderate,and low reactivity,accounting for 6.0％,41.7％,and 52.3％of the total participants,respectively.The high reactivity group exhibited significantly higher ISI scores(mean difference:high vs low=7.217,95％CI:6.425 to 8.009,P＜0.001;high vs medium=5.047,95％CI:4.244 to 5.849,P＜0.001)and anxiety scores(mean difference:high vs low=6.515,95％CI:6.209 to 6.819,P＜0.001;high vs medium=5.770,95％CI:5.461 to 6.079,P＜0.001)than both the medium and low reactivity groups.Compared to the low reactivity group,the medium reactivity group had significantly higher ISI scores(mean difference:medium vs low=2.170,95％CI:1.789 to 2.551,P＜0.001)and anxiety scores(mean difference:=0.745,95％CI:0.597 to 0.891,P＜0.001).Regarding positive affect scores,the high reactivity group scored significantly lower than the low and medium reactivity groups(high vs low=-16.905,95％CI:-18.114 to-15.695,P＜0.001;high vs medium=-2.692,95％CI:-3.917 to-1.466,P＜0.001),and the medium reactivity group scored significantly lower than the low reactivity group(mean difference=-14.212,95％CI:-14.795 to-13.630,P＜0.001).The high reactivity group showed a greater impact of anxiety on sleep than the low reactivity group(β=-0.213,95％CI:-0.366 to-0.059,P＜0.01).In the effect of positive affect on sleep,the interaction term between positive affect and the moderate reactivity group had no significant regression effect on ISI(β=-0.073,95％CI:-0.249 to 0.103),and the interaction term between positive affect and the high reactivity group also had no significant regression effect on ISI(β=-0.145,95％CI:-0.383 to 0.093).Conclusion Sleep reactivity among military personnel can be categorized into 3 types:low reactivity,moderate reactivity and high reactivity.Compared with the military personnel with low sleep reactivity,those with high reactivity have sleep quality more vulnerable to anxiety.This finding suggests that in military mental health practice,priority should be given to anxiety management for those with high sleep reactivity in order to reduce their risk of insomnia.

BackgroundSleep disturbances are common among military personnel stationed in high-altitude environments and may have important implications for health and operational functioning. This study aimed to investigate the effects of cumulative high-altitude exposure on sleep quality and to examine the roles of oxygen supplementation and frequency of returning to low-altitude areas.MethodsA cross-sectional survey was conducted among 1,316 military personnel stationed in high-altitude regions. Sleep quality was assessed using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), with higher scores indicating poorer sleep quality. Participants also reported demographic characteristics, cumulative duration of high-altitude residence, oxygen supplementation frequency, oxygen supplementation duration per session, and frequency of returning to low-altitude areas. Bivariate correlation analyses and hierarchical regression analyses were conducted to examine the associations and interaction effects among these variables.ResultsSleep difficulties were positively correlated with cumulative high-altitude residence duration (r = 0.13, p < 0.001) and frequency of returning to low-altitude areas (r = 0.07, p < 0.001), and negatively correlated with oxygen supplementation frequency (r = −0.20, p < 0.001) and oxygen supplementation duration per session (r = −0.12, p < 0.001). A significant three-way interaction was observed among cumulative high-altitude residence duration, oxygen supplementation, and frequency of returning to low-altitude areas. Specifically, cumulative high-altitude residence duration was significantly associated with greater sleep difficulties (b = 0.41, p = 0.003) under the combined condition of shorter oxygen supplementation sessions and more frequent returns to low-altitude areas.ConclusionThese findings suggest that optimizing oxygen supplementation strategies and managing altitude-transition frequency may help reduce sleep disturbances and improve overall health outcomes among military personnel in high-altitude environments.

Childhood maltreatment is widely recognized as a significant risk factor for the development of insecure attachment. However, empirical evidence on the strength and direction of this relationship remains mixed. To address this gap, we conducted two three-level meta-analyses to (a) estimate the overall associations between childhood maltreatment and adult attachment and (b) examine key moderators of these associations. A comprehensive literature search was conducted across five databases. Two three-level meta-analyses were employed to account for the dependence among effect sizes within studies. The analyses comprised 1,304 effect sizes derived from 228 independent samples across 211 studies, with 82,376 participants. Results revealed significant and positive correlations between childhood maltreatment and both attachment anxiety (r = 0.23) and avoidance (r = 0.20), with stronger associations observed for emotional maltreatment and when multidimensional measurement tools were employed. These findings suggest that adverse caregiving experiences have an enduring impact on attachment across the lifespan. This highlights the importance of implementing policies to reduce the incidence of childhood maltreatment and developing intervention programs to help affected adults rebuild secure attachment bonds.

INTRODUCTION:Resting-state functional connectivity (FC) has distinct, personalized patterns that could serve as a unique fingerprint of each individual's brain. While previous brain fingerprinting methods have used FC maps over a scanning session (static method), it has been shown that the brain is a dynamic system that switches between several metastable states, each of which has a different FC map. Taking the dynamic nature of brain connectivity into account will likely lead to more subject-specific information and better individual identification. METHODS:In this article, we derived the state-specific FCs using sliding window correlation and clustering and evaluated their performance in individual identification and cognitive score prediction. RESULTS:The resultant dynamic fingerprints outperformed the static fingerprints in identification accuracy. Furthermore, some of the brain states were more accurate in predicting cognitive scores, indicating that connectivity in some brain states is informative of cognitive abilities, possibly useful as biomarkers for brain disorders. DISCUSSION:These findings suggest that incorporating dynamic information captures subject-specific connectivity features that are not present in static FC alone. The observation that specific states contribute more to cognitive prediction further highlights their potential utility as biomarkers for brain disorders.

(1) Background: Prosocial behaviour serves as a crucial indicator of mental health development among preschool children. This study aimed to reveal the path through which family cohesion affects prosocial behaviour in Chinese preschoolers, while exploring the potential roles of parent-child relationships and parenting sense of competence in this relationship; (2) Methods: The questionnaire method was used, with 515 parents of preschool children from Southwest China participating in this survey (115 fathers, 400 mothers; Mage = 34.37, SD = 5.31). (3) Results: The key findings of the study are as follows: 1. Family cohesion exerted a direct and positive significant effect on the prosocial behaviour of preschoolers such that strong family cohesion effectively promoted children's prosocial behaviour; 2. Parent-child relationships and a sense of competence in terms of parenting played a joint mediating role in the relationship between family cohesion and preschooler's prosocial behaviour. Specifically, strong family cohesion enhanced the quality of parent-child relationships, which in turn improved parents' parenting sense of competence, ultimately facilitating the development of prosocial behaviour in preschool children; 3. Further propensity score-matching analysis revealed that the influence of family cohesion on the prosocial behaviour of preschoolers varies by parent, with parenting sense of competence being significant among fathers and parent-child relationships being significant among mothers. (4) Conclusions: In educational practice, greater attention should be paid to the role of fathers in Chinese family education, especially regarding their parenting capabilities and experiences. Additionally, it is essential to encourage Chinese fathers to actively fulfil their parenting duties and responsibilities.

As generative AI tools rapidly enter higher education, the determinants and mediating mechanisms underlying Chinese college students' intention to use ChatGPT remain underexplored, particularly regarding innovation-related perceptions beyond conventional TAM-style direct effects. This study examines the factors that drive Chinese college students' intention to use ChatGPT by integrating the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) and Innovation Diffusion Theory (IDT), introducing perceived popularity and perceived compatibility to extend the model. Questionnaires were distributed to 451 college students through a combination of purposive sampling and convenience sampling, and the data were analyzed using structural equation modeling with maximum likelihood estimation and bootstrapping to test the hypothesized relationships and mediation effects. The results showed that perceived compatibility and perceived popularity had significant positive effects on intention to use ChatGPT; perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use played partial mediating roles in the relationships between perceived compatibility, perceived popularity, and use intention; and perceived ease of use and perceived usefulness jointly formed significant sequential mediation paths linking perceived compatibility and perceived popularity to use intention. Overall, the study clarifies a TAM-IDT-based mechanism through which innovation-related perceptions shape students' intention to adopt ChatGPT, offering implications for enhancing educational value by improving task-tool fit, usability support, and benefit salience in higher education.

Objective The initial training period and early post-assignment period for new recruits are characterized by highly concentrated stress load and role transition,and different degrees of psychological adaptation problems occur often.This study aims to explore the effect of dialectical behavior therapy(DBT)-based group psychological training on psychological adaptation during the"first adaptation period"of concentrated initial training for new recruits,and to further investigate whether reinforcement training with the same content during the"second adaptation period"after company assignment could further improve or maintain the enhancement effect.Methods A randomized controlled trial design was adopted,and the psychological training for new recruits was conducted in 2 stages.During the"first adaptation period"of initial training,91 new recruits who enlisted in September 2024 in a new training mission in Southwest China were enrolled by cluster sampling.They were randomly divided into a training group(n=44)and a control group(n=47).The training group received DBT-based group psychological training for 8 weeks,once per week,while the control group did not receive such training temporarily.During the"second adaptation period"after company assignment,the new recruits(n=89)from this batch with follow-up were enrolled into the second stage of study,and randomly assigned into 4 groups:a blank control group(n=25),a first adaptation period training group(n=23),a second adaptation period training group(n=20),and a two-staged training group(n=21).The first 2 groups did not receive training temporarily,while the latter 2 groups received DBT-based group psychological training.New Recruit Psychological Adaptation Scale,Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire-Short Form(FFMQ-SF),16-Item Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale,Interpersonal Competence Questionnaire,Chinese Revised Version of Distress Tolerance Scale,and Perceived Stress Scale were used to measure the scores of different groups at 3 time points:before training(T1),at the end of training(T2),and 1 month after training(T3).The difference method and 2×2 analysis of variance were used to evaluate the training effects.Results Before the start of the new training period,there were no statistical differences between the training group and the control group in demographic data or scores of various psychological variables(P>0.05).At 1 month after training during the first adaptation period(T3),the psychological adaptation scale score in the training group was significantly lower than that in the control group,and the level of psychological adaptation was significantly improved(t=-5.025,P<0.001,95%CI:-5.788 to-2.504).The 5 facet mindfulness levels(t=20.453,3.051,P<0.001,P<0.01,95%CI:11.207 to 13.622,1.374 to 6.528)and perceived stress(t=-15.041,-5.285,P<0.001,P<0.01,95%CI:-9.998 to-7.660,-8.999 to-4.074)in the training group were superior to those in the control group at both T2 and T3.Interpersonal competence(t=4.663,P<0.001,95%CI:16.337 to 40.932)and distress tolerance(t=3.815,P<0.001,95%CI:4.213 to 13.397)in the training group were significantly higher than those in the control group at T2.During the second adaptation period,reinforcement training showed significant main effects of DBT training on the psychological adaptation variables at T2[F(1,85)=23.82,P<0.001,ηp²=0.22]and T3,1 month after training completion[F(1,85)=22.85,P<0.001,ηp²=0.21].The second adaptation period training group and the two-stage training group showed significant and sustained improvement effects on most indicators,including psychological adaptation,mindfulness,difficulties in emotion regulation,perceived stress,distress tolerance,and interpersonal competence(P<0.01,Cohen's d=0.87 to 5.64).The two-stage training group demonstrated greater advantages in difficulties in emotion regulation and interpersonal competence.Conclusion Implementing DBT group psychological training during the first adaptation period(initial training period)can significantly improve the psychological adaptation level of new recruits.Conducting reinforcement training with the same content during the second adaptation period(after company assignment)can further consolidate and maintain this improvement effect,with more obvious benefits in emotion regulation and interpersonal competence.It is recommended to systematically implement DBT group training throughout the entire enlistment stage of new recruits(initial training and early post-assignment period)to effectively promote their mental health and troop adaptation.

This study explored the relationship between parental career support and adolescent career adaptability and the mediating role of resilience and moderating role of the father-child/mother-child relationship. The results of a questionnaire survey of 366 adolescents revealed that (1) parental career support positively predicts career adaptability; (2) the father-/mother-child relationship positively moderates their relationship; (3) the mother-child relationship moderates the pathway through which parental career support influences career adaptability via resilience—specifically, a strong mother-child bond amplifies the effect of parental career support on career adaptability through the mediating role of resilience. The study underscores the integrated impact of parental career support, parent-child relationships, and resilience in shaping career adaptability. Finally, the research provides recommendations for fostering adolescents’ career development and future research directions.

Cultivating interpersonal gratitude is crucial for promoting adaptive development in emerging adults. Social comparison theory provides a more comprehensive framework for exploring the mechanisms behind the formation of interpersonal gratitude. However, empirical findings regarding the effect of social comparison of received help on interpersonal gratitude are inconsistent, and the underlying mechanism driving this effect is still unclear. To address this, this study extended social comparison theory to help-receiving contexts, examining how social comparison of received help influences interpersonal gratitude among emerging adults in China, while exploring the mediating role of self-worth and the moderating role of help effectiveness. College students volunteered to participate in either Study 1 (N = 144, Mage = 21.54, 65.3

The growing issue of young adults grappling with problematic social media use (PSMU) has emerged as a significant health concern. While a link to insecure attachment has been noted, the precise mechanism linking the two is not well understood. This study collected data from 106 young adults (55.8% female, M = 20.88, SD = 1.69) with PSMU at four daily intervals over 11 days to explore the dynamics between trait insecure attachment and state attachment insecurity following negative events, and their impact on social media craving and engagement. Multilevel moderated mediation models indicated that state attachment insecurity mediates the effect of negative interpersonal events on craving, moderated by trait insecure attachment. This underscores the profound influence of attachment insecurity dynamics on the development of PSMU. Moreover, the study identified unique social media engagement patterns linked to attachment anxiety and avoidance, shedding light on how these psychological constructs distinctly influence online behaviors. These findings contribute to advancing our understanding of PSMU's development and are instrumental in crafting targeted interventions to mitigate the adverse outcomes associated with excessive social media use.

The mental health of adolescents is the key to ensure their smooth growth. This study aimed to explore the underlying mechanism between bullying victimization and boarding adolescents’ mental health problems in rural China. A total of 2155 boarding adolescents from middle schools (Nboy = 936, Ngirl = 1219, Mage = 13.86, SD = 0.81) participated in this survey and completed four questionnaires on bullying victimization, parenting styles, self-esteem and mental health problems. Results shown that: (1) In rural China, about one fifth of boarding adolescents were in an unhealthy mental state, and learning anxiety was the most common mental health problem reported by them; (2) Bullying victimization had a significant effect on boarding adolescents’ mental health problems, and the more bullied experiences predict more serious mental health problems; (3) Self-esteem played a mediating role in bullying victimization and boarding adolescents’ mental health problems, whiles parenting styles played a moderating role. Bullying victimization has been shown to decrease self-esteem, which in turn contributes to mental health problems among boarding adolescents. Low-level negative parenting styles further intensify these issues. Consequently, the education department and educators must prioritize addressing school bullying and protecting the mental health of boarding students. Most importantly, collaboration with parents is essential to foster the healthy development of these adolescents.

The functional neuro-anatomical model of attachment (NAMA) proposes that the balance between affective evaluation and cognitive control systems can be modulated by adult attachment styles and attachment priming. However, little is known about the characteristics of emotional conflict control that are modulated by attachment patterns. Accordingly, the present study adopted two experiments to investigate the associations between attachment styles, attachment (in)security priming, and emotional conflict control. Experiment 1 (N = 225) examined the association between attachment styles and emotional interference, demonstrating that individuals high on attachment anxiety (AX) relied more on affective evaluation to hinder conflict control. Furthermore, Experiment 2 (N = 185) explored the effect of attachment priming on emotional conflict control. Moderated mediation models indicated that high sense of attachment security mediated the relationship between security priming and increased emotional interference when it interacted with high AX. Additionally, high sense of insecurity partially mediated the association between threat priming and reduced emotional interference only for individuals with high AX, while low AX strengthened the effect of threat priming on decreased emotional interference. Together, these findings provide supporting evidence for the NAMA that the emotional-cognitive balance in emotional conflict control is modulated by both attachment styles and attachment priming.

Self-compassion refers a positive attitude towards oneself, known to enhance individuals' psychological wellbeing. Its impact on interpersonal functions remains incompletely understood. A meta-analysis of research examining its relationship with prosocial behavior, delineating both overall and sub-components levels (i.e., selfwarmth and self-coldness). From 59 studies (N = 39,625) yielding 369 effect sizes, multilevel meta-analysis revealed that self-compassion exhibits small-to-medium positive associations with general prosocial behavior and its diverse manifestations. Similar effect sizes were observed for the relationship between self-warmth and prosocial behavior, while self-coldness fails to yield significant effects. Moderation analysis indicated that the positive impact of self-compassion on prosocial behavior is contingent upon cultural context, types of prosocial behavior and sub-components of self-compassion. The association between self-warmth and prosocial behavior manifests variability across age groups. Future research should delve into the mediators of above links and the contexts in which it is most pronounced.

The COVID-19 pandemic has triggered many social crises, and the sudden change in life circumstances has resulted in extremely challenging levels of mental health among adolescents. High levels of perceived stress coincided with low levels of life satisfaction, with self-efficacy and meaning in life possibly playing a role. This study explores the relationship between perceived stress and life satisfaction among Chinese adolescents during the COVID-19 pandemic. Self-efficacy and meaning in life were investigated as two mediating factors for this relationship. 2045 students from three middle schools in Chongqing completed the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS), Satisfaction With Life Scale (SWLS), General Self-efficacy Scale (GSES) and Meaning in Life Questionnaire (MLQ). Process Macro model 6 was used to test the chain mediation between variables. ① Perceived stress was significantly negatively related to life satisfaction, self-efficacy, and meaning in life; life satisfaction, self-efficacy, and meaning in life were significantly positively related; ② Self-efficacy and meaning in life chain-mediated between perceived stress and life satisfaction. During the COVID-19 pandemic, perceived stress is an important factor affecting adolescent life satisfaction. Perceived stress not only directly affects life satisfaction, but also indirectly affects it through reduced self-efficacy and meaning in life. Primary and secondary schools and psychological centers can start with self-efficacy and meaning in life training in order to enhance the mental health of young people, alleviate perceived stress and improve their life satisfaction.