Stress and academic self-efficacy are crucial factors in the psychological health of college students. Previous research has shown that stress is associated with academic self-efficacy, but their longitudinal relationships among students at elite colleges remain unclear. This study aimed to explore the longitudinal relationships between stress and academic self-efficacy among students from five elite colleges in China. Descriptive statistics indicated that students experienced a slight reduction in stress accompanied by a marginal increase in academic self-efficacy from the junior year to the senior year. Correlation analysis revealed that stress was negatively correlated with academic self-efficacy. According to cross-lagged models, heightened stress significantly predicted lower levels of academic self-efficacy. However, greater academic self-efficacy did not significantly predict lower stress. In conclusion, stress exhibited a unidirectional negative prediction on academic self-efficacy over time among students at elite colleges. The results of this study suggested that elite colleges should pay more attention to the mental health of students and provide appropriate guidance, such as establishing a positive mental health atmosphere in the educational environment and employing advanced technological means.

With the rapid development of digital technology, the use of digital learning resources has become increasingly widespread and is now an integral part of higher education. However, there is a lack of research on engineering students’ behavioral intention to use digital resources and their digital literacy. This study, which is based on two waves of longitudinal survey data from 422 Chinese engineering students, employs the unified theory of acceptance and use of technology 2 (UTAUT2) model to systematically analyze the factors influencing engineering students’ behavioral intention to use digital learning resources and explore the longitudinal relationship between this intention and digital literacy. The results show that engineering students’ behavioral intention to use digital learning resources positively predicts their digital literacy. Effort expectancy, social influence, facilitating conditions, hedonic motivation, and habit are positively related to engineering students’ behavioral intention, whereas performance expectancy and price value do not have significant effects. The findings extend the application of the UTAUT2 model in the context of digital education and reveal a longitudinal link between the use of digital learning resources and digital literacy. This provides theoretical support and practical guidance for optimizing digital learning environments, enhancing digital literacy in engineering students, and improving the design of teaching resources in higher education, contributing to the development of engineering education in China in the digital age.

Self-esteem plays a crucial role in the psychological development of college students. Based on four-wave longitudinal data, this study empirically investigated the longitudinal trajectories of self-esteem, related predictors, and the impact on depression in a sample of Chinese college students. Piecewise growth mixture modeling was utilized to identify potential self-esteem trajectories. Furthermore, multinomial logistic regression models were employed along with the Kruskal‒Wallis test to analyze the factors that influence self-esteem development trajectories and assess variations in depression. The results showed that college students’ self-esteem trajectories can be divided into three categories: slowly decreasing (81.04%), rising then falling (16.94%), and falling then rising (2.02%). Various personal factors (e.g. ethnicity, family residence, self-reported health status, extroversion) and socioeconomic factors (e.g. closeness with classmates, family economic level, family social status, and the mother’s educational level) can influence the classification of students’ self-esteem development trajectories. Moreover, notable differences in depression were observed among students in different self-esteem trajectory groups. The results emphasize the imperative of implementing interventions to enhance self-esteem among college students.

The health status of emerging adults is at risk. Although subjective well-being is one of the factors closely associated with health, their longitudinal relationship is not clear among emerging adults. The study aimed to investigate the prospective relationship between self-rated health and subjective well-being in emerging adults. The study collected longitudinal data from a total of 1021 Chinese college students (537 males and 484 females) for five years, including two years in college and three years after graduation. In the baseline survey, the average age of the sample was 21.57 years old. Descriptive statistics indicated that both self-rated health and subjective well-being significantly decreased from the senior year of college to the year after graduation. Correlation analysis revealed that self-rated health and subjective well-being had a significant positive relationship. In the five-wave random intercept cross-lagged panel model, subjective well-being unidirectionally predicted self-rated health. In other words, the subjective well-being in the previous year could positively predict self-rated health in the following year, but the previous self-rated health could not predict subsequent subjective well-being. Given the significance of emerging adulthood to individual development, more attention and care should be dedicated to improving subjective well-being so as to maintain good health and engagement in work.

Background/Objectives: During the COVID-19 pandemic, TikTok emerged as a significant app for entertainment and information acquisition for the general public, gradually extending its reach to the older population. Digital technology, exemplified by TikTok, has become an indispensable part of older adults’ lives. However, while prior studies have extensively focused on the impact of internet use on older adults’ health, research on the impact of TikTok during the COVID-19 pandemic remains insufficient. Methods: Utilizing data from the China Family Panel Studies (CFPS) 2020, this study explored the impact of TikTok use on older adults’ self-rated health and its underlying mechanisms through multiple regression and mediation analysis. Results: The study found that (1) TikTok use had a significant positive effect on the self-rated health of older adults; (2) while TikTok use increased the exercise frequency of older adults, exercise frequency did not affect their self-rated health; and (3) TikTok use boosted older adults’ protein intake, contributing substantially to their self-rated health, accounting for 38.7% of the total effect. Conclusions: It is advisable to actively promote the popularity of short video apps such as TikTok among older adults, as they serve as an effective tool for disseminating health information and encouraging healthier lifestyles and behaviors.

The objective of this study was to examine the relationship between stress perception and achievement goals among rural college students in China. Using a two-wave random intercept cross-lagged model, this study analyzed data from a longitudinal survey conducted at 15 public universities in Beijing. First, there was a significant decline in stress levels among Chinese rural students from their junior to senior years. Second, the achievement goal orientations of these students remained relatively stable during the period. Third, while no significant association was found between approach goals and stress perception, a clear positive reciprocal relationship emerged between avoidance goals and stress perception. These results suggest that educators should focus on alleviating the stress experienced by rural college students through academic, employment, and interpersonal support to break the vicious cycle of stress perception and avoidance goal orientation. Future research should further explore the influence of diverse group characteristics and emotional states on these outcomes.