The impact of competitiveness on the mental health of Pakistani male and female adolescents is an important area of study, as the pressures from academic, social, and familial expectations significantly influence the psychological well-being of adolescents. This research aims to examine the relationship between gender differences in competitiveness and mental health outcomes, particularly depression, anxiety, and stress, among adolescent males and females. A cross-sectional design was employed involving a sample of 387 adolescents (227 boys and 160 girls) aged 14 to 19, recruited through a convenience sampling method. Quantitative data were obtained on the Revised Competitiveness Index (RC1; Housten et al., 2023) and the DASS-21 (Lovibond & Lovibond, 1995). The study employed two-way and mixed factorial ANOVA to examine gender differences in competitiveness and mental health outcomes. The results demonstrated that adolescent boys displayed markedly greater levels of competitiveness than their female peers. Furthermore, girls reported elevated levels of depression, anxiety, and stress compared to boys. The findings indicate that the rise in competitiveness correlates with an increase in depression, anxiety, and stress, especially in female adolescents. The study highlights the importance of recognizing gender differences in developing mental health interventions for adolescents, suggesting that tailored approaches may be necessary to address the distinct needs of boys and girls.

Doctoral programs demand rigorous intellectual commitment and an unrelenting pursuit of knowledge, often at the cost of scholars’ mental health. Mental health and Positive Psychological Functioning (PPF) are crucial components of the overall well-being of individuals. Pakistani Ph.D. scholars, like any other students, face a range of challenges and stressors during their academic journey. The present study evaluated the current mental health and PPF of Pakistani scholars by utilizing a cross-sectional research design. In order to carry out this investigation, 240 participants (male = 111 & female = 129) were selected using a snowball sampling technique. To assess the mental health and PPF of study participants, DASS-21 and the Positive Psychological Functioning Scale (PPFS) were used to collect data. Results of two-way ANOVA illustrated that there is a significant main effect of PPFS and DASS-21 across gender, socioeconomic status (SES), and employment status. Further results of two-way and three-way mixed factorial ANCOVA revealed significant main effect of PPFS with (F(2,147) = [29.137], p < .001) , and DASS-21 (Depression (F(2,147) = [17.736], p < .001) , Anxiety (F(2,147) = [7.578], p = .001) , and stress (F(2,147) = [10.066], p < .001) across Social sciences, Computer science and Engineering majors. The study concludes that mental health and PPF are important areas to consider when supporting the well-being of Pakistani PhD students.

Background: Psychological distress is increasingly recognized as a transdiagnostic risk factor underlying multiple maladaptive behavioral outcomes. However, less is known about how distinct dimensions of distress differentially relate to internet gaming disorder (IGD) and binge-eating behavior (BEB) within a unified framework. Objective: This study aims to examine the associations between depression, anxiety, stress, and these two behavioral outcomes among young adults, using a differential but overlapping transdiagnostic model of emotional dysregulation. Methods: A cross-sectional sample of 380 participants (aged 18–30 years) was recruited through online platforms and educational institutions. Standardized measures were used to assess psychological distress (21-item Depression Anxiety Stress Scale), IGD (9-item Internet Gaming Disorder Scale–Short Form), and BEB (7-item Binge-Eating Disorder Screener). Pearson correlations, confirmatory factor analysis, and structural path analysis were conducted to examine associations among the study variables. Results: All dimensions of psychological distress were significantly positively associated with both IGD and BEB. The structural path model demonstrated good fit and explained substantial variance in IGD (R2 = 0.41) and BEB (R2 = 0.47). Stress demonstrated the strongest unique association with IGD. In contrast, depression demonstrated the strongest unique association with BEB. Anxiety demonstrated a weaker but consistent association across both behaviors, suggesting that it may represent a general vulnerability factor rather than a behavior-specific predictor. Conclusion: The findings of this study support a differential but overlapping transdiagnostic model, indicating that IGD and BEB share a common underlying emotional distress system while differing in their dominant emotional pathways of expression. These results highlight the importance of targeting emotional dysregulation in prevention and intervention strategies for maladaptive behavioral outcomes in young adults.