Kyung-Hyun Suh^1,*, Sung-Jin Chung¹, Goo-Churl Jeong¹, Kunho Lee¹, Ji-Hyun Ryu²

International Journal of Mental Health Promotion, Vol.27, No.12, pp. 1829-1845, 2025, DOI:10.32604/ijmhp.2025.071879 - 31 December 2025

Abstract Background: Adolescents increasingly engage with social media for connection, self-expression, and identity exploration. This growing digital engagement has raised concerns about its potential risks and mental health implications. Methods: This narrative review examines literature on adolescent social media use by exploring underlying motivations, risk and protective factors across personal, environmental, and digital domains, with a focus on mental health outcomes. Results: Individual vulnerabilities—such as low self-esteem, impulsivity, and poor sleep—interact with contextual factors like peer pressure and family conflict to elevate risks. Digital environments shaped by algorithmic feeds, feedback mechanisms, and curated content promote social comparison and More >

Wufan Jia¹, Seung Hee Yoo², Hye Eun Lee^3,*

International Journal of Mental Health Promotion, Vol.27, No.12, pp. 1897-1906, 2025, DOI:10.32604/ijmhp.2025.071572 - 31 December 2025

Abstract Background: With growing concerns about the abuse of prescription and over-the-counter (OTC) medications, such as medications for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), diet pills, and sleep aids, among adolescents in South Korea, this study aimed to investigated how these substances affect key aspects of adolescent well-being, specifically school satisfaction, body image, and sleep quality, and their association with mental health outcomes. Methods: A two-wave longitudinal survey was conducted with Korean female high school students (Wave 1: n = 494; Wave 2: n = 189). Linear regression analyses were used to evaluate the effects of ADHD medications, diet pills, and… More >

Huazhe Wan¹, Wenying Huang², Wen Zhang², Chang Hu^2,*

International Journal of Mental Health Promotion, Vol.27, No.10, pp. 1611-1626, 2025, DOI:10.32604/ijmhp.2025.070457 - 31 October 2025

Abstract Background: Social anxiety is prevalent among adolescents and severely impacts their mental health and social functioning. This study aims to explore the underlying mechanisms and subgroup differences in adolescent social anxiety to provide a theoretical basis for targeted interventions. Methods: 3025 Chinese adolescents (Mean_age = 13.91 ± 1.60 years; 47% male) completed self-report measures of physical activity, core self-evaluation, and social anxiety. Variable-centered analyses employed PROCESS Model 4 with 5000 bootstrap samples; covariates were gender, grade, and place of residence. Person-centered analyses used latent profile analysis in Mplus 8.3 to identify subgroups based on social anxiety… More >

Marta Reis^1,2,3,4,5,*, Catarina Noronha⁶, Gina Tomé^3,4,5, Marina Carvalho^4,6, Nuno Neto Rodrigues⁷, Margarida Gaspar de Matos^3,4,6

International Journal of Mental Health Promotion, Vol.27, No.10, pp. 1457-1470, 2025, DOI:10.32604/ijmhp.2025.070318 - 31 October 2025

Abstract Objectives: Academic Evaluation Anxiety is a significant psychological concern among adolescents, with well-documented impacts on academic performance, emotional well-being, and school engagement. In Portugal, recent evidence suggests growing pressure on students to achieve high academic standards, with psychosocial variables such as resilience, perceived support, and school environment playing a crucial role. This study aims to examine the prevalence and psychosocial predictors of Academic Evaluation Anxiety in Portuguese students, and to identify risk and protective factors that inform educational practice. Methods: This cross-sectional, quantitative study analysed data from 3083 students (5th to 12th grade) from the… More >

Xiaojun Xu^1,#, Hui Lu^2,#, Mengni Du³, Yang Wang^1,4, Mingyan Liu², Lei Qian^1,5, Chunyan Shan¹, Jianan Xu⁶, Yanqiu Yu⁷, Guohua Zhang⁴, Anise M. S. Wu^8,9, Joseph T. F. Lau^1,4,10,*, Deborah Baofeng Wang^1,*

International Journal of Mental Health Promotion, Vol.27, No.10, pp. 1423-1437, 2025, DOI:10.32604/ijmhp.2025.068840 - 31 October 2025

Abstract Background: Adolescent depression and school refusal (SR) are prevalent and important global concerns that need to be understood and addressed. Cross-sectional associations have been reported but prospective relationships between them remain unclear. This longitudinal study investigated the bidirectional relationships between these two problems among Chinese adolescents. Methods: A longitudinal study was conducted in Taizhou, China, surveying students of three junior high schools, three senior high schools, and one vocational high school. A total of 3882 students completed the questionnaire at baseline (T1); 3167 of them completed an identical follow-up questionnaire after 6 months (T2). Depression… More >

Dingmeng Mao¹, Guannan Bai², Lin Yang^3,4,5, Jane Jie Yu^1,*

International Journal of Mental Health Promotion, Vol.27, No.9, pp. 1221-1235, 2025, DOI:10.32604/ijmhp.2025.069810 - 30 September 2025

Abstract Background: Physical inactivity among adolescents has become a global public health challenge, with over 80% failing to meet the recommendations of the WHO for activity levels. Existing research predominantly examines how physical activity (PA) enhances resilience, while the predictive role of resilience in PA, particularly its interaction with family factors, has received limited attention. This study aimed to examine the associations between resilience and PA among adolescents, focusing on family functioning and gender differences. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, a total of 909 Chinese adolescents (463 males and 446 females, aged 13.3 ± 0.5 years)… More >

Hakgweon Lee¹, Youngho Kim^2,*

International Journal of Mental Health Promotion, Vol.27, No.9, pp. 1411-1421, 2025, DOI:10.32604/ijmhp.2025.069543 - 30 September 2025

Abstract Background: It has been broadly witnessed that a large number of adolescents are suffering emotional and mental health problems after COVID-19, and such adverse experiences in early life often extend into adulthood, resulting in serious long-term implications. However, it is accepted that the literature examining the relationship between mental health problems in adolescents and their underlying psychological factors is limited. The purposes of the current study were to identify mental health problems of Korean adolescents and to investigate the possible influence of self-esteem, self-efficacy, and health locus of control on mental health problems. Methods: A… More >

Qiufeng Gao¹, Yushu Feng¹, Changcheng Jiang¹, Yanshan Zhang^2,*, Ruixiang Gao^3,*

International Journal of Mental Health Promotion, Vol.27, No.9, pp. 1399-1410, 2025, DOI:10.32604/ijmhp.2025.067138 - 30 September 2025

Abstract Background: Fundamental internal factors like self-construal and its influence on problematic online game use (POGU) remain underexplored. Hence, this study aims to investigate the effects of independent and interdependent self-construal on POGU, with the mediation of basic psychological needs satisfaction. Methods: The study surveyed 418 Chinese junior high school students (50.24% male; Mean_age = 12.68, SD = 0.65), assessing their levels of self-construal, basic psychological needs satisfaction, and POGU. A parallel mediation model was tested. Results: The findings showed that autonomy and competence needs satisfaction fully mediated the negative impact of independent self-construal on POGU (B… More >

Sonja Čanković^1,2, Vesna Petrović³, Vesna Mijatović Jovanović^1,2, Tanja Tomašević^1,2, Dragana Milijašević^1,2, Dušan Čanković^1,4,*

International Journal of Mental Health Promotion, Vol.27, No.8, pp. 1071-1086, 2025, DOI:10.32604/ijmhp.2025.066430 - 29 August 2025

Abstract Objectives: Depression is one of the most common mental health disorders in adolescence. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of depressive symptoms (DS) in adolescents aged 15–18 years in the Autonomous Province of Vojvodina (APV) and to analyze the association of sociodemographic and family factors with DS. Methods: The sample consisted of 986 students (47.4% females and 52.6% males) from ten government high schools in all seven districts of the APV. The Kutcher Adolescents Depression Scale (KADS) was used as a screening test for DS. Sociodemographic data were assessed using a… More >

Riza Hayati Ifroh, Xiaosong Gai^*

International Journal of Mental Health Promotion, Vol.27, No.6, pp. 787-807, 2025, DOI:10.32604/ijmhp.2025.065065 - 30 June 2025

Abstract Background: Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are a significant issue in adolescent health due to their robust correlation with deficits in executive functions (EF) and health risk behaviors (HRBs). This study aimed to examine the association between ACEs and a range of HRBs, including substance use, sexual risk behavior, suicidal ideation, physical inactivity, and violence. Methods: This cross-sectional study used self-administered questionnaire and cluster sampling in seven junior high schools in Samarinda, Indonesia, with a sample size of 534 students. Data analysis using descriptive statistics, the Chi-square test, the independent t-test, ANOVA, binary logistic regression, and mediation… More >