Mental health literacy as a moderator: association between psychological vulnerability and adolescent anxiety
BackgroundAdolescent anxiety’s underlying mechanisms remain unclear, which undermines adolescents’ social functioning. This study examined the moderating role of mental health literacy in the relationship between adolescent anxiety and psychological vulnerability.MethodsA cross-sectional study was c...
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2025-06-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Psychology |
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| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1521224/full |
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| author | Qianying Hu Yingyan Zhong Jianhua Chen Rumeng Chen Enzhao Cong Enzhao Cong Yifeng Xu |
| author_facet | Qianying Hu Yingyan Zhong Jianhua Chen Rumeng Chen Enzhao Cong Enzhao Cong Yifeng Xu |
| author_sort | Qianying Hu |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | BackgroundAdolescent anxiety’s underlying mechanisms remain unclear, which undermines adolescents’ social functioning. This study examined the moderating role of mental health literacy in the relationship between adolescent anxiety and psychological vulnerability.MethodsA cross-sectional study was conducted on 1,591 middle and high school students through online questionnaires in January 2023 in Guizhou Province, China. The Psychological Vulnerability Scale, Mental Health Literacy Scale, and Screen for Child Anxiety-Related Emotional Disorders were used to measure psychological vulnerability, mental health literacy, anxiety, and its five dimensions, including panic/somatic, generalized anxiety, separation anxiety, social phobia, and school phobia in adolescents, respectively.ResultsPsychological vulnerability was significantly correlated with adolescent anxiety and its dimensions (p < 0.05). The moderating role of mental health literacy on the relationship between psychological vulnerability and adolescent anxiety was left marginally significant (p = 0.07). Furthermore, mental health literacy significantly weakened the relationship between psychological vulnerability and social phobia (p < 0.05). The upward trend of anxiety as psychological vulnerability increases among the high mental health literacy group was significantly slower than the low mental health literacy group.ConclusionThose findings suggest educators should develop curriculum resources to strengthen the cultivation of mental health literacy among adolescents to promote adolescent mental health. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-54fe8633effc4df6853faf7de6fcd978 |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 1664-1078 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-06-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Psychology |
| spelling | doaj-art-54fe8633effc4df6853faf7de6fcd9782025-08-20T02:32:19ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Psychology1664-10782025-06-011610.3389/fpsyg.2025.15212241521224Mental health literacy as a moderator: association between psychological vulnerability and adolescent anxietyQianying Hu0Yingyan Zhong1Jianhua Chen2Rumeng Chen3Enzhao Cong4Enzhao Cong5Yifeng Xu6Shanghai Mental Health Center, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, ChinaShanghai Mental Health Center, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, ChinaShanghai Mental Health Center, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, ChinaShanghai Mental Health Center, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, ChinaShanghai Mental Health Center, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, ChinaShanghai Tenth People's Hospital, School of Medicine, Tongji University, Shanghai, ChinaShanghai Mental Health Center, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, ChinaBackgroundAdolescent anxiety’s underlying mechanisms remain unclear, which undermines adolescents’ social functioning. This study examined the moderating role of mental health literacy in the relationship between adolescent anxiety and psychological vulnerability.MethodsA cross-sectional study was conducted on 1,591 middle and high school students through online questionnaires in January 2023 in Guizhou Province, China. The Psychological Vulnerability Scale, Mental Health Literacy Scale, and Screen for Child Anxiety-Related Emotional Disorders were used to measure psychological vulnerability, mental health literacy, anxiety, and its five dimensions, including panic/somatic, generalized anxiety, separation anxiety, social phobia, and school phobia in adolescents, respectively.ResultsPsychological vulnerability was significantly correlated with adolescent anxiety and its dimensions (p < 0.05). The moderating role of mental health literacy on the relationship between psychological vulnerability and adolescent anxiety was left marginally significant (p = 0.07). Furthermore, mental health literacy significantly weakened the relationship between psychological vulnerability and social phobia (p < 0.05). The upward trend of anxiety as psychological vulnerability increases among the high mental health literacy group was significantly slower than the low mental health literacy group.ConclusionThose findings suggest educators should develop curriculum resources to strengthen the cultivation of mental health literacy among adolescents to promote adolescent mental health.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1521224/fullpsychological vulnerabilityanxietymental health literacyadolescentmoderator |
| spellingShingle | Qianying Hu Yingyan Zhong Jianhua Chen Rumeng Chen Enzhao Cong Enzhao Cong Yifeng Xu Mental health literacy as a moderator: association between psychological vulnerability and adolescent anxiety Frontiers in Psychology psychological vulnerability anxiety mental health literacy adolescent moderator |
| title | Mental health literacy as a moderator: association between psychological vulnerability and adolescent anxiety |
| title_full | Mental health literacy as a moderator: association between psychological vulnerability and adolescent anxiety |
| title_fullStr | Mental health literacy as a moderator: association between psychological vulnerability and adolescent anxiety |
| title_full_unstemmed | Mental health literacy as a moderator: association between psychological vulnerability and adolescent anxiety |
| title_short | Mental health literacy as a moderator: association between psychological vulnerability and adolescent anxiety |
| title_sort | mental health literacy as a moderator association between psychological vulnerability and adolescent anxiety |
| topic | psychological vulnerability anxiety mental health literacy adolescent moderator |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1521224/full |
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