Detailed contribution information
| Contribution title | The Role of Social-Emotional Competence in Enhancing Mental Health Among Rural Chinese Children |
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| Contribution code | D2.162 |
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| Form of presentation | Poster |
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| Abstract |
Aims: Mainland China faces an alarming prevalence of mental health challenges among children, with rural children disproportionately affected due to factors like parental migration, high divorce rates, and limited health and mental health resources. Social-emotional competence (SEC) has been demonstrated as both a promotive and a protective factor for various developmental outcomes across several cultural contexts, yet its relation to mental health among rural Chinese children remains underexplored. Method: We utilized baseline data from a cross-sectional self-reported survey for a matched-pair cluster-randomized SEL intervention involving 5th-graders from 36 rural elementary schools. Separate models for depression, anxiety, and stress were conducted using mixed-effect linear regressions with a random intercept at the school level, adjusting for individual fixed-effect covariates including age, gender, health status, parent marital and migration status, financial, and number of siblings. The interaction term of internet addiction and SEC was included in the main models for moderating analysis. Results: Of 1692 participants, on average aged 10.4 years, 49.2% were girls. In main models, SEC was significantly inversely associated with depression (𝛽 = -0.06), anxiety (𝛽 = -0.05), and stress (𝛽 = -0.09), all significant (p < .001). Moderating effects of SEC on Internet addiction and depression, anxiety, and stress were all significant (p < .05), indicating that in participants with Internet addiction, better SEC significantly correlated with better mental health outcomes. Conclusions: The findings highlight SEC’s crucial role in reducing depression, anxiety, and stress among rural Chinese children while also mitigating the effects of internet addiction. These results support adopting school-based SEL programs to enhance mental health and build coping skills for challenges like internet addiction. |