Family socioeconomic status and Chinese high school students' test anxiety: Serial mediating role of parental psychological control, learning resources, and student academic self-efficacy

Music therapy and its impact on anxiety and mental well-being of Chinese students: An experimental comparison of traditional and VR approaches

The incorporation of advanced technologies into music therapy can potentially benefit many therapeutic approaches. This study aims to examine the effectiveness of music therapy, conventional and VR-enhanced, in improving graduate students' mental well-being and reducing their anxiety level. The study involved 270 fourth-year undergraduate students from three universities in China. Using the Chinese versions of the Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-Being Scale (WEMWBS) and the Test Anxiety Scale (TAS), the study found that the control group experienced the worsening of mental well-being and higher anxiety when compared to baseline, with the mean differences of 2.62 and 2.60 points, respectively. The conventional music therapy group exhibited an improvement in mental well-being of 3.81 points, whereas their anxiety level decreased by 3.53 points. The effects of the intervention were even more pronounced in the VR-MT group, with an increase in the WEMWBS score of 7.48 points and a decrease in the anxiety score of 6.36 points. The results provided strong evidence of significant differences between the three conditions (p < 0.001). This study provides empirical evidence that VR-enhanced music therapy is a more effective method for reducing anxiety and improving mental health than the conventional approach.

Exploring the effect of family function on non-suicidal self-injury among Chinese adolescents in different family socioeconomic status

BACKGROUND

Non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) among adolescents represents an alarming public health concern worldwide. Both family function and family socioeconomic status (SES) were found to play important roles in adolescent NSSI engagement. However, the effects of family function on NSSI among adolescents in different family SES are not well evidenced.

AIMS

This study aimed to explore how family functions (adaptation, partnership, growth, affection, and resolve) affect NSSI among adolescents in different family SES levels.

METHODS

Data used in this study was derived from the Students' Mental Health Network Project (SMHN), a survey conducted among 8,872 pairs of adolescent-caregivers in a city in central China. Socio-demographic characteristics, family function, NSSI, adverse life events, and depressive symptoms were measured among adolescents. Family SES were generated from caregivers self-reported information using principal component analysis. Chi-square test and multivariate binary logistic regression analyses were adopted to analyze the effects of family function on NSSI.

RESULTS

It revealed that 10.2% of adolescents reported engaging in NSSI in the past 12 months. Poor family function and high family SES were positively associated with NSSI. Partnership, both adaptation and affection, resolve were NSSI-protective factors for adolescents in low, middle, high family SES, respectively.

CONCLUSIONS

Efforts to address NSSI should acknowledge the association between family function and NSSI among adolescents in different family SES levels.

The mediating role of English learning motivation between socioeconomic status and pragmatic awareness

Socioeconomic status (SES) has received great attention in learning a second or foreign language (SL/FL). However, little research has investigated the association between SES and SL/FL pragmatic learning, let alone the influencing pathways of SES on SL/FL pragmatic awareness (PA). Therefore, this research aimed to address the link between learners' SES and PA with the mediating effects of learning motivation based on the L2 motivation self-system (L2MSS) theory by surveying 292 Chinese EFL university students. Structural equation modeling analyses indicated that: (1) SES had no significant effect on ought-to L2 self and intended learning efforts; (2) ought-to L2 self and intended learning efforts had significant predictive effects on PA; (3) SES positively and directly predicted EFL learners' PA; and (4) ideal L2 self, attitudes toward L2 community, and attitudes toward learning English mediated the relationship between SES and Chinese EFL learners' PA significantly.

Exploring Adolescent Moderate-to-Vigorous Physical Activity in China: Mediating Roles of School Climate, Perceived Barriers, and Physical Education Satisfaction

Background

The lack of physical activity poses a major challenge to adolescents' healthy physical and mental development. Despite growing attention, research on how the school physical activity climate affects Chinese adolescents' participation in moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) remains scarce. This study explores this relationship through the lens of ecological systems theory, focusing on the mediating roles of physical education satisfaction and perceived barriers. It also proposes strategies to promote MVPA among Chinese adolescents.

Methods

This cross-sectional study employed convenience and snowball sampling methods to examine the impact of the school physical activity climate on adolescent participation in MVPA. It also explored the mediating roles of physical education satisfaction and perceived barriers. Four variables in the study were measured using established scales: Physical Activity Climate, Perceived Barriers to Physical Activity, Physical Education Satisfaction, and Physical Activity Assessment. The data were analyzed using AMOS v.23 to construct and test a structural equation model.

Results

A total of 612 adolescents aged 12 to 18 from six key middle schools in central China participated in the study. The findings showed that a positive school physical activity climate significantly promotes MVPA participation. Physical education satisfaction positively correlated with MVPA (β = 0.322, p < 0.001), while perceived barriers negatively correlated with both physical education satisfaction (β = -0.449, p < 0.001) and MVPA (β = -0.366, p < 0.001). Satisfaction with physical education and perceived barriers mediated the relationship between the school climate and MVPA, emphasizing their importance in shaping adolescent physical activity behavior. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) results (χ²/df = 1.928, GFI = 0.969, AGFI = 0.956, NFI = 0.962, CFI = 0.981, RMSEA = 0.037) confirmed the model's robustness and good fit.

Conclusion

Adolescents in a positive physical activity climate are more likely to overlook perceived barriers, enjoy higher satisfaction in PE classes, and actively engage in MVPA. Schools and educators are advised to foster a supportive physical activity environment to boost adolescent MVPA participation, considering the unique context of China's educational system.

How does family functioning contribute to academic-related outcomes of Chinese adolescents: the mediating role of spirituality

While family functioning is crucial to adolescent developmental outcomes, the mediating role of spirituality in the relationship between family functioning and academic-related outcomes of adolescents has been sparsely explored, particularly in non-Western contexts. To address this gap, based on a short-term longitudinal study, we examined the influence of family functioning on the academic values and academic anxiety of 4,981 Chinese adolescents in Sichuan, China, with spirituality as the mediator. We gathered data from students aged 11 and above at Wave 1 and at six months later (Wave 2). Analysis utilizing structural equation modeling indicated that prior family functioning positively and negatively predicted subsequent academic values and academic anxiety respectively, with spirituality as a significant mediator. Theoretically, this study helps to build up a conceptual model on how family functioning and spirituality of adolescents shape academic values and academic anxiety of adolescents. Practically, the present findings highlight the significance of enhancing family functioning and adolescent spirituality to help adolescents strive for academic success.

Parent-child educational aspiration congruence and adolescents' internalizing problems: The moderating effect of SES

Previous studies have found that adolescents and their parents may hold discrepant views about educational aspirations. However, little is known about how these discrepancies affect adolescents' internalizing problems and the moderating effect of SES on the relation between (in)congruence of parent-child educational aspirations and adolescents' internalizing problems. Therefore, this study explored the relation between (in)congruence of parent-child educational aspirations and adolescents' internalizing problems, and further tested the moderating role of SES. Based on two-wave survey data collected from a nationally representative sample of 8194 parent-child dyads in China (51.3 % boys, mean age = 13.58 years), multilevel polynomial regression and response surface analysis were performed to investigate the hypotheses. The results found that (1) internalizing problems were minimal when the two educational aspiration variables were congruent, (2) internalizing problems were the highest when the discrepancy between child educational and parental educational aspirations was largest, and (3) SES moderated the relation between (in)congruence in educational aspirations and adolescents' internalizing problems. The study's results not only comprehensively and intuitively reveal the influence of parents' and children's educational aspirations on adolescents' internalizing problems, but also provide targeted guidance and suggestions regarding parenting practices for families from diverse SES backgrounds.

The relationship between COVID-19 stress and test anxiety in art students: the chain mediating roles of intolerance of uncertainty and sleep quality

BACKGROUND

The global spread of COVID-19 has brought immense physiological and psychological distress to students, such as test anxiety and poor sleep quality. This study aims to explore the relationship between COVID-19 stress and test anxiety and the mediating roles of intolerance of uncertainty and sleep quality between them.

METHODS

A study was conducted in China during the late stage of the pandemic. A total of 936 Chinese art students (age M = 18.51, SD = 2.11, 46.6% female) completed the Coronavirus Stress Measure (CSM), the 12-item Intolerance of Uncertainty (IUS-12), the Brief Version of the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (B-PSQI), and the Test Anxiety Inventory (TAI). A chain mediation model analysis was conducted to examine the mediating effects of intolerance of uncertainty and sleep quality on the association with COVID-19 stress and test anxiety.

RESULTS

COVID-19 stress was positively associated with test anxiety (β = 0.50, p < 0.001). The intolerance of uncertainty and sleep quality partially and serially mediated the relationship between COVID-19 stress and test anxiety (β = 0.01, 95% CI = 0.01 to 0.02).

CONCLUSION

These findings suggest that art students' intolerance of uncertainty and sleep quality partially and serially mediate the relation between COVID-19 stress and test anxiety. The results have significant implications for the intervention and prevention of test anxiety, providing additional evidence for the relationship between COVID-19 stress and test anxiety.

Risk factors associated with the prevalence of neck and shoulder pain among high school students: a cross-sectional survey in China

BACKGROUND

After the COVID-19 outbreak, many Chinese high school students have increased their dependence on electronic devices for studying and life, which may affect the incidence of neck and shoulder pain (NSP) in Chinese adolescents.

METHODS

To evaluate the prevalence of NSP in high school students and its associated risk factors during COVID-19, a survey was conducted among 5,046 high school students in Shanghai, Qinghai, Henan and Macao during the second semester and summer vacation of the 2019-2020 academic year. The questionnaire included questions regarding demographic characteristics, the prevalence of NSP and lifestyle factors such as sedentary behavior, poor posture and electronic device usage. Univariable and multivariable logistic regression was used to analyze the possible influencing factors for neck and shoulder pain.

RESULTS

A total of 4793 valid questionnaires (95.0%) were collected. The results indicated that the prevalence of NSP was 23.7% among high school students. Binary logistic regression analysis revealed that female gender (P < 0.05, OR = 1.82), grade (P < 0.05, range OR 1.40-1.51) and subject selection (P < 0.05, range OR 0.49-0.68) were risk factors for NSP in high school students. Sedentary behavior (P < 0.05, range OR 1.74-2.36), poor posture (P < 0.05, range OR 1.19-2.56), backpack weight (P < 0.05, range OR 1.17-1.88), exercise style and frequency (P < 0.05, range OR 1.18-1.31; P < 0.05, range OR 0.76-0.79, respectively), and the time spent using electronic devices (P < 0.05, range OR 1.23-1.38)had a significant correlation with NSP in high school students.

CONCLUSIONS

NSP is currently very common among high school students during the outbreak of COVID-19. Sedentary behavior, poor posture and other factors have a great impact on the occurrence of NSP in high school students. Education regarding healthy lifestyle choices should be advocated for to decrease NSP among high school students, such as more physical activity, changing poor postures and reducing the amount of time spent using electronic devices.

Socioeconomic status index is an independent determinant of breast cancer screening practices: Evidence from Eastern China

BACKGROUND

Breast cancer is the most prevalent malignancy affecting Chinese women, and early routine screening is incredibly important for its prevention and control. This study aimed to investigate the role of socioeconomic status (SES) in female breast cancer screening practices using the composite SES index.

METHODS

This cross-sectional study involved 1816 women in Eastern China. Data were collected using an online self-administered questionnaire from January 2020 to May 2021. We used principal component analysis to construct the composite SES index using educational level, annual household income, and occupation. Logistic regression was used to analyze the association between the SES index and breast cancer screening utilization.

RESULTS

Of the participants, 19.27% reported having performed breast self-examination, 12.89% reported having undergone clinical breast examination, and 3.52% reported having received mammography. The SES has a significant influence on the patronage of female breast cancer screening in Eastern China. The composite SES index was found to have a positive and significant association with breast cancer screening practices. An interaction was found between the SES index and patient characteristics, such as health awareness, marital status, and location of residence. In addition, the SES index had a positive effect on breast cancer-related knowledge.

CONCLUSIONS

Socioeconomic inequalities existed in Eastern China and were related to breast cancer screening patronage. The composite SES index was identified as a significant determinant of breast cancer screening practices. Our results highlighted the negative impacts of socioeconomic inequities on female breast cancer screening utilization. This suggests that reducing socioeconomic inequalities in breast cancer screening requires more focused interventions and concerted outreach activities for groups with lower education levels, lower income, or lower occupational classes.