The Effect of Effortful Control and Intentional Self-Regulation on Positive Mental Health in Adolescents: A Longitudinal Mediation Model

Abstract

Background: Researchers and practitioners have long focused primarily on functional deficits or psychopathological symptoms in adolescent mental health. Few researchers have explored the positive dimensions of mental health and the associated antecedents. We aimed to examine the mechanisms by which two forms of self-regulation (effortful control and intentional self-regulation) jointly predicted positive mental health in adolescents through a longitudinal study. Methods: This two-wave longitudinal study, with a 6-month interval between T1 and T2, surveyed 877 adolescents (Mage = 12.86 years, SD = 0.71 at T1; 48.12% boys) from two public middle schools in Hubei Province, China. Effortful control and intentional self-regulation were measured at T1, and social connectedness and positive mental health at T2. Structural equation modelling with bootstrap analysis was employed to examine the direct and indirect effects of self-regulation on positive mental health via social connectedness. Results: The baseline model demonstrated that both effortful control and intentional self-regulation significantly predicted positive mental health. Subsequent mediation analysis indicated that social connectedness mediated these relationships, with significant indirect effects for both effortful control and intentional self-regulation, accounting for 48.31% and 30.92% of the total effects, respectively. Notably, the direct effects of self-regulation on positive mental health became nonsignificant after incorporating social connectedness into the model. Conclusions: The findings underscore the joint contributions of effortful control and intentional self-regulation to adolescents' positive mental health, with social connectedness serving as a partial mediator. Interventions aimed at enhancing self-regulation and strengthening social connections within key developmental contexts may effectively promote holistic mental health in adolescents.