Exploring the Relationship Between Perceived Social Support and Psychological Resilience Among Chinese Adolescents in Post-Pandemic Online Learning Contexts: The Mediating Role of Loneliness

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic catalyzed sustained online learning integration. This shift has disrupted adolescents’ social ecosystems and heightened mental health risks. This study examines loneliness as a mediator between perceived social support and psychological resilience among Chinese junior high school students engaged in ongoing online learning, and explores variations across gender and developmental stages. Using data from 583 adolescents recruited from a public junior high school in Zhuhai, China, this study employed structural equation modeling (SEM) to test the hypothesized mediation model. Validated scales were used to measure perceived social support, psychological resilience, and loneliness. Loneliness served as a significant partial mediator, accounting for 17.9% of the total effect. Social support showed a strong direct effect on resilience (β = .738), though contextual factors appear to filter these benefits. High family support (M = 5.33) co-occurred with sustained loneliness (M = 2.03) among 16-year-olds, potentially reflecting culturally specific patterns where academic oversight may overshadow emotional validation. Loneliness peaked at age 14 (M = 2.63), coinciding with developmental vulnerability. Digital communication constraints (eg, lack of nonverbal cues) were associated with reduced relational depth among students with low social support (r = –.477). Boys reported higher resilience (M = 3.71, d = 0.3), while girls reported greater loneliness (M = 2.39, d = −0.21). These findings highlight the need for tailored interventions that enhance digital support systems and enable timely identification of at-risk students. This study proposes a Digital Resilience Framework contextualizing the mediation effect within cultural, developmental, and digital dimensions, with implications for supporting adolescent well-being in post-pandemic education.