He Jingzhen, Tu Shaoyu, Zhao Haichao, He Qinghua
Faculty of Psychology, MOE Key Laboratory of Cognition and Personality, Southwest University, Chongqing, 400715 China.
Southwest University Branch, Collaborative Innovation Center of Assessment toward Basic Education Quality, Chongqing, 400715 China.
Int J Clin Health Psychol. 2025 Jan-Mar;25(1):100539. doi: 10.1016/j.ijchp.2024.100539. Epub 2025 Jan 9.
The neural mechanisms and long-term effects of perceived stress (PS) and self-control (SC) on mental health (MH) are not fully understood. This study seeks to investigate the influence of PS and SC on MH and to identify their neural correlates using fMRI.
A total of 817 college students participated in behavioral assessments, including the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS), Self-Control Scale (SCS), and Mental Health Continuum Short Form (MHC-SF). Among them, 371 underwent fMRI scans to calculate zfALFF and whole-brain functional connectivity. Additionally, their behavioral measures were reassessed two years later.
Longitudinal behavioral data revealed significant fixed effects of perceived stress and self-control on mental health. Perceived stress significantly predicted decreased mental health at Time 2, and self-control acted as a mediator in such relationship. The results of the behavioral and brain model analyses found that zfALFF in the right temporal region negatively predicted self-control. Functional connectivity between the right temporal region and the right precentral gyrus was also found to negatively predict self-control.
This study highlights the mediating role of self-control in the relationship between perceived stress and mental health. It also identifies specific brain regions and functional connectivity associated with self-control, providing new neurobiological evidence for mental health interventions.
感知压力（PS）和自我控制（SC）对心理健康（MH）的神经机制及长期影响尚未完全明确。本研究旨在探究PS和SC对MH的影响，并使用功能磁共振成像（fMRI）确定它们的神经关联。
共有817名大学生参与了行为评估，包括感知压力量表（PSS）、自我控制量表（SCS）和心理健康连续体简表（MHC-SF）。其中371人接受了fMRI扫描，以计算局部低频振幅（zfALFF）和全脑功能连接。此外，两年后对他们的行为指标进行了重新评估。
纵向行为数据显示，感知压力和自我控制对心理健康有显著的固定效应。感知压力显著预测了第2阶段心理健康的下降，自我控制在这种关系中起中介作用。行为和脑模型分析结果发现，右侧颞叶区域的zfALFF对自我控制有负向预测作用。还发现右侧颞叶区域与右侧中央前回之间的功能连接对自我控制有负向预测作用。
本研究强调了自我控制在感知压力与心理健康关系中的中介作用。它还确定了与自我控制相关的特定脑区和功能连接，为心理健康干预提供了新的神经生物学证据。
