Open Access

ARTICLE

How Emotion Nurtures Mentality: The Influencing Mechanism of Social-Emotional Competency on the Mental Health of University Students

by Yulei Chen¹, Zhaojun Chen^1,2, Shichao Wang¹, Yang Hang¹, Jianpeng Guo^1,*

1 Institute of Education, Xiamen University, Xiamen, 361005, China
2 Shandong Social Science Education Base, Yantai Nanshan University, Longkou, 265706, China

* Corresponding Author: Jianpeng Guo. Email:

(This article belongs to the Special Issue: Learning Motivations, Emotional Engagement, and Academic Psychological Capitals of College Students)

International Journal of Mental Health Promotion 2024, 26(4), 303-315. https://doi.org/10.32604/ijmhp.2024.046863

Received 17 October 2023; Accepted 19 February 2024; Issue published 04 May 2024

Abstract

Social-Emotional Competency (SEC), regarded as a critical psychological resource for individuals to adapt to social environments, is an effective protective factor for students’ mental health, impacting their future success and well-being. Analyzing the impact of SEC on university students’ mental health can offer valuable insights for nurturing talents with healthy psychological and physical development. Based on data from two large-scale surveys of Chinese university students, this study designed two comprehensive Multiple Mediation Models involving SEC, stress, coping strategies, and stress reaction to explore the pathway of emotion nurturing mentality. Study 1 utilized a parallel mediation model to examine the relationships between SEC, academic stress, interpersonal stress, and stress reactions. The results indicated that SEC negatively predicted academic stress, interpersonal stress, and stress reactions. Additionally, academic and interpersonal stress mediated the relationships between SEC and stress reactions in parallel. Extending these findings, Study 2 further investigated the role of coping strategies. By constructing a multiple-chain mediation model, it examined the predictive relationships among SEC, academic stress, interpersonal stress, three types of coping strategies, and stress reactions. The findings indicated that SEC negatively predicted stress, problem-avoiding strategy, and stress reactions, while positively predicting problem-solving and assistant-seeking strategies. Furthermore, the two stress types and three coping strategies significantly mediated the relationship between SEC and stress reactions. This indicated that higher SEC was associated with reduced stress and more adaptive coping strategies and subsequently contributed to more favorable stress reactions. This research explored the impact of university students’ SEC on mental health and its relational mechanisms, aiming to provide theoretical reference and practical insights for future efforts in cultivating SEC among university students to adjust academic and interpersonal stress, to enhance problem-solving and stress resistance capabilities, and to maintain their mental health.

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Keywords

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