To explore the mediation role of smartphone addiction on the relationship between parent-child relationships and the intensity of use of social network sites (SNSs), as well as the moderation effect of anxiety, this research conducted self-report questionnaires of the Social networking site (SNS) Usage Questionnaire, Self-Rating Anxiety Scale, Smartphone Addiction Scale and Inventory of Parent and Peer Attachment with 719 adolescents. The results showed that (1) the parent-child relationship negatively predicts SNS usage and (2) smartphone addiction plays a mediating role in the link between the parent-child relationship and SNS usage. (3) The relationship between the parent-child relationship and SNS usage is moderated by anxiety (on the first mediation path), and low levels of anxiety can mitigate the negative impact of the parent-child relationship on smartphone addiction, thus also mitigating the negative effects of the parent-child relationship on SNS usage. Our conclusion highlighted the vital role of the parent-child relationship and anxiety on the influence of smartphone addiction and the intensity of use of SNSs among adolescents. Our research also provides clinical implications: (1) teachers in high school can adopt family group counseling or emotion regulation workshop to help adolescents to prevent addiction to smartphones and social network sites; (2) we can reduce addictive behaviors by designing a series of intervention sessions to improve parent-child relationships and reduce anxiety for adolescents who have been addicted to smartphone and social network sites.

The present study was conducted twice over one year during the COVID-19 pandemic with Chinese adolescents (n = 1582) to investigate the relationships among family socioeconomic status (SES), adolescent mental health problems, trait mindfulness, and perceived stress using self-reported measures. We administered the Mindful Attention Awareness Scale (MAAS), the Perceived Stress Scale (PPS), the Self-rating Anxiety Scale (SAS), the Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D), and Conduct Problem Tendency Inventory (CPTDI) to a sample of Chinese adolescents. The results prove that (1) there were significant correlations among socioeconomic status, trait mindfulness, perceived stress, and adolescent mental health problems, and the (2) serial mediation analysis indicated that trait mindfulness and perceived stress performed as mediators on the path from SES to anxiety, depression, and externalizing problems. Our findings provide a contribution by showing the connection between socioeconomic position and adolescent mental health problems and by offering a reference for the treatment of psychological issues affecting adolescents.

Self-processing in autism affects social interactions. By choosing 8 fMRI studies of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) self-processing, this study used ALE meta-analysis to investigate the brain underpinnings of self-processing in ASD. The findings revealed the following: (1) The capacity to make self-other distinctions and mirroring in social interactions is impacted by inadequate activation of brain areas of the mirror neuron system in ASD, which in turn impairs social interactions. (2) ASD activated more brain regions in self-processing than typically developing (TD) individuals. TD individuals exhibit activation in only one cluster during self-processing, while ASD individuals show activation in five distinct clusters. As shown by the fact that TD primarily activated the right frontal lobe when it came to self-processing, whereas ASD activated the limbic lobe, temporal lobe, hippocampus, amygdala, pontine gyrus, and a portion of the left frontal lobe. This study reveals the cognitive neural basis of autism's greater focus on the self. By clarifying these neurobiological disparities, we acquire a more profound comprehension of the processes that cause social disabilities in ASD. This insight could possibly guide the creation of focused treatments designed to enhance social performance and enhance the quality of life for those with ASD.

Objective: In this research, we tried to explore how short-term mindfulness (STM) intervention affects adolescents’ anxiety, depression, and negative and positive emotion during the COVID-19 pandemic. Design: 10 classes were divided into experiment groups (5 classes; n = 238) and control (5 classes; n = 244) randomly. Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) and Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS) were used to measure participants’ dependent variables. In the experiment group, we conducted STM practice interventions every morning in their first class from March to November 2020. No interventions were conducted in the control group. Methods: Paired-sample t-tests were used to identify if a significant difference exists between every time point of the experimental and control groups. Repeated ANOVA and Growth Mixture Model (GMM) were used to analyze the tendency of positive and negative emotions, anxiety, and depression in the experimental group. Results and Conclusions: (1) With the intervention of STM, there was a significant decrease in negative emotions and an increase in positive emotions in the experimental group, whereas there were non-significant differences in the control group. (2) To explore the heterogeneity trajectories of dependent variables, we built a GMM and found there were two latent growth classes in the trajectories. (3) The results of the models showed their trajectories were downward, which meant that the levels of anxiety, depression, and negative emotions of participants decreased during the STM training period. Nonetheless, the score of positive affect showed upward in three loops of intervention, which indicated that the level of the participants’ positive affect increased through the STM intervention. (4) This research indicated that STM should be given increasing consideration to enhance mental health during the worldwide outbreak of COVID-19.

Background: Childhood leukemia, a malignant proliferative disorder of the hematopoietic system and the most common childhood cancer, poses a significant threat to the lives and health of affected children. For parents, a leukemia diagnosis in their child is a profoundly traumatic event. As primary caregivers, they endure immense psychological distress and caregiving stress throughout the prolonged and demanding treatment process, which can adversely affect their own well-being and caregiving capacity. However, the psychological mechanisms, such as the role of mindfulness, linking caregiver stress to parental coping strategies remain underexplored, and evidence-based interventions to support these parents are needed. Methods: In Study 1, we administered a cross-sectional survey to 242 parents of children with leukemia who were hospitalized at the Affiliated Hospital of Qingdao University between January and August 2024. Participants completed measures assessing caregiver burden, mindful attention awareness, and parental coping style. In Study 2, we further evaluated the effects of a Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) intervention. Results: The results of Study 1 revealed: (1) The caregiving stress significantly and negatively predicted coping style (β = −1.18, 95% CI [−2.18, −0.18], p < 0.01). (2) Caregiving stress also significantly and negatively predicted mindfulness (β = −1.90, 95% CI [−2.43, −1.38], p < 0.01). (3) Conversely, mindfulness significantly and positively predicted coping style (β = 0.85, 95% CI [0.62, 1.07], p < 0.01). These findings suggest that mindfulness mediates the relationship between caregiver burden and coping style. In Study 2, the experimental group showed a significant decrease in caregiver stress post-intervention (t = 2.24, p < 0.05), a significant increase in mindfulness (t = −4.61, p < 0.001), and a significant improvement in coping style (t = −2.36, p < 0.01). No significant changes were observed in the control group. Conclusion: MBSR can effectively enhance mindfulness and promote adaptive coping strategies, while reducing caregiver burden among parents of children with leukemia.