Student mental health is vital to the growth of students and there have been continuous efforts made in improving student mental health in China. This chapter aims to introduce the overall Chinese students’ mental health condition as well as the relevant practices and policies that support student mental health. Next, the highlighting data section compares the suicide rates and prevalence of psychological problems among Chinese students with other countries. The next section designs 10 indicators tapping on student mental health, campus safety, and school support for student well-being. Scores on these indicators for seven countries were computed, and the results show that Chinese students’ mental health condition and support are roughly at the same level as other countries. Parallel to quantitative data, three successful national influential practices and three inspiring stories shed light on how Chinese educators and psychological professionals promote student mental health through various approaches. Finally, the latest research published in high-level Chinese academic journals and the latest leading national policies are reviewed to complement the comprehensive picture of student mental health in China. Keywords Student Mental Health Mental Health Service/Psychological Service Mental Health Education Psychological Support School-Family-Community Collaborations

Teachers increasingly serve as first responders to student mental health crises, yet pre-service teacher education often lacks opportunities for realistic, ethically safe practice of mental health support skills. This exploratory study evaluated a theoretically grounded dual-agent AI simulation system designed to train novice educators in Solution-Focused Brief Therapy (SFBT) skills. Using a quasi-experimental pretest-posttest design, 30 non-psychology graduate education students were divided into an AI-assisted practice group (n = 18) and a peer role-play control group (n = 12) according to class enrolment. The AI system was built around Kolb’s (1984) experiential learning cycle, operationalized through two interactive spaces: a Demonstration Space and a Practice Space. Both groups showed significant pre-to-post gains in SFBT knowledge and counselling self-efficacy. The AI-assisted group demonstrated a marginal advantage in objective knowledge acquisition, whereas self-efficacy gains were comparable across groups. Within the experimental group, certain AI system evaluations were positively associated with self-efficacy gains. Student feedback was largely positive, though some noted areas for improvement in the system’s authenticity and interactivity. These findings suggest that generative AI simulation offers a scalable and ethically safe complement to traditional peer role-play for foundational mental health support training. The observed asymmetry between knowledge and self-efficacy gains further highlights the nuanced effects of technology-mediated learning on trainee self-perception, with implications for the design of AI-assisted curricula in teacher education and mental health training.

The mental health of doctoral students is a critical concern in higher education. Despite growing research attention, Chinese-language scholarship remains underrepresented in international academic discourse because of language barriers. This study systematically reviewed Chinese-language empirical research on doctoral students’ mental health to summarize current findings and provide a comprehensive account of research trends. Following PRISMA guidelines, we searched three major Chinese databases (CNKI, cqVIP, and Wanfang Data) from inception through December 2023. A content analysis examined research characteristics, methods, and findings across 35 eligible studies. A meta-analysis synthesized SCL-90 data from five studies comparing doctoral students with master’s students, Chinese population norms, and Chinese youth norms using random-effects models. The content analysis revealed a three-stage evolution of the field: emergence (2005–2011), consolidation (2012–2017), and diversification (2018–2023), with increasing methodological sophistication and attention to vulnerable subgroups. The meta-analysis clarified inconsistent findings from individual studies, showing small differences between doctoral and master’s students but more widespread symptom elevations relative to Chinese population and youth norms. Interpersonal sensitivity showed the most consistent elevation across all comparisons, particularly relative to youth norms, followed by depression and somatization. Implications for practice, research gaps, and directions for future research are discussed.