Potential Implications of Optimism and Mental Health for the Independent Learning of Chinese University Students

This study investigated the potential implications of optimism and mental health in promoting independent learning among Chinese university students using a theoretical model related to loneliness, optimism, mental health, independent learning, and academic achievement and the relationships between them. Valid data were obtained from 509 participants from four universities in Wuhan, China, through a questionnaire with five-point Likert scales specific to loneliness, optimism, mental health, independent learning, and academic achievement in September 2021. These data were used to construct models to test measurement validity and mediating mechanisms through structural equation modeling. The results revealed that loneliness influences mental health, thereby influencing the academic achievement of Chinese university students, and optimism can reduce the partial negative effect of loneliness on students’ mental health. Good mental health can support independent learning to promote academic achievement. This study provides recommendations for university managers to promote independent learning among Chinese university students.

Psychological effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on Wuhan's high school students.

OBJECTIVE: This study explored the protective mechanisms of resilience and positive emotion regulation against psychological trauma among Wuhan's high school students during the COVID-19 outbreak. METHOD: We obtained 286 valid samples from four high schools in Wuhan, China. To construct a measurement model and a structural model, structural equation models using four measurement scales with valid items were adopted, including a scale of psychological trauma, a scale of resilience, a scale of positive emotional regulation, and a scale of mental health. Participants reported their answers to items on a 5-point Likert-like scale. RESULTS: The results revealed that psychological trauma was a negative predictor of mental health, and resilience and positive emotion regulation mediated the relationship between psychological trauma and mental health. CONCLUSIONS: Accordingly, we concluded that resilience and positive emotion regulation interrupted the direct impact of psychological trauma on mental health, thereby greatly protecting the mental health of Wuhan's high school students during the COVID-19 outbreak.