Psychological Suzhi and depression and anxiety among Chinese adolescents: the mediating role of negative cognitive processing bias and perceived stress

Psychological Suzhi , as a product of the implementation of quality-oriented education in China, is an important protective factor in promoting students’ mental health and social adaptation. Although previous studies have demonstrated that individuals with higher psychological Suzhi have lower levels of depression and anxiety, little is known about the mechanisms of how psychological Suzhi acts on depression and anxiety. In order to further explore the potential impact mechanism between psychological Suzhi and depression and anxiety, the present study conducted a survey on 5214 adolescents ( M age = 16.74 ± 1.01 years, 42.50% male) using the Brief Psychological Suzhi Questionnaire for Middle School Students, the Negative Cognitive Processing Bias Scale, the Perceived Stress Scale, the Patient Health Questionnaire-9, and the Generalized Anxiety Disorder scale-7. The results showed that (1) Psychological Suzhi was moderately negatively correlated with depression and anxiety; (2) Negative cognitive processing bias and perceived stress independently mediated the effect of psychological Suzhi on depression and anxiety; (3) Psychological Suzhi also could influence depression and anxiety through the chain mediating effect from negative cognitive processing bias to perceived stress. In summary, this study revealed that negative cognitive processing bias and perceived stress are important internal mechanisms by which psychological Suzhi influences depression and anxiety. These findings not only contribute to deepening research on the mechanisms of psychological Suzhi , but also provide suggestions for alleviating depression and anxiety in adolescents.