Institute of Developmental Psychology, Faculty of Psychology, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China.
School of Sociology and Psychology, Central University of Finance and Economics, Beijing, China.
Psychoneuroendocrinology. 2022 Sep;143:105846. doi: 10.1016/j.psyneuen.2022.105846. Epub 2022 Jun 22.
The belief in upward social mobility promotes the mental health and social adaptation of disadvantaged adolescents. However, efforts for upward mobility may facilitate psychosocial adaptation while undermining physical health for minority youth from disadvantaged backgrounds. Therefore, we aimed to examine how social mobility belief is associated with mental and physical health among Chinese rural-to-urban migrant adolescents and explore whether positive affect acts as a protective factor moderating these relationships.
A total of 158 rural-to-urban migrant adolescents aged 10-14 completed a self-report questionnaire and underwent medical examination.
Social mobility belief and positive affect were positively related to mental health (general self-efficacy). Positive affect interacted with social mobility belief in predicting physical health (self-rated health and allostatic load). For migrant adolescents with low levels of positive affect, strong belief in social mobility was associated with poor self-rated health and high allostatic load. For migrant adolescents with high levels of positive affect, their physical health was better and not associated with social mobility belief.
Social mobility belief showed a double-edged sword effect; it was positively associated with mental adaptation while negatively associated with physical health among Chinese rural-to-urban migrant adolescents. Positive affect acted as a protective factor for decreasing the negative association between social mobility belief and physical health.
向上的社会流动信念促进了弱势青少年的心理健康和社会适应。然而，向上流动的努力可能会促进心理社会适应，同时破坏来自弱势背景的少数族裔青年的身体健康。因此，我们旨在研究社会流动信念如何与中国农村到城市移民青少年的身心健康相关，并探讨积极情绪是否作为调节这些关系的保护因素。
共有 158 名 10-14 岁的农村到城市移民青少年完成了一份自我报告问卷并接受了体检。
社会流动信念和积极情绪与心理健康（一般自我效能感）呈正相关。积极情绪与社会流动信念相互作用，预测身体健康（自我报告的健康状况和全身负荷）。对于积极情绪水平较低的移民青少年来说，强烈的社会流动信念与较差的自我报告健康状况和全身负荷较高有关。对于积极情绪水平较高的移民青少年来说，他们的身体健康状况较好，与社会流动信念无关。
社会流动信念对中国农村到城市移民青少年的心理适应具有双刃剑效应，与心理适应呈正相关，与身体健康呈负相关。积极情绪作为一个保护因素，可减少社会流动信念与身体健康之间的负相关关系。
