Negative Academic Emotion and Psychological Well-being in Chinese Rural-to-Urban Migrant Adolescents: Examining the Moderating Role of Cognitive Reappraisal.

Daoyang Wang,Mingming Hu,Sha Tao,Shuting Li,Dan Dong

doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2017.01312

Abstract

The study aimed to explore the relationship among negative academic emotions (e.g., anxiety, shame, anger, boredom, hopelessness, disappointment, and hatred), psychological well-being (including life vitality, health concern, altruism commitment, self-value, friendly relationship, and personal development), and cognitive reappraisal in rural-to-urban migrant adolescents in China. Specifically, it was hypothesized that the relationship between psychological well-being and negative academic emotions is moderated by cognitive reappraisal. A total of 311 migrant adolescents aged 14–20 years were selected, including 132 boys and 179 girls. Results of a regression analysis showed that cognitive reappraisal (positive) and negative academic emotions were significant predictors of psychological well-being. The interaction effect between cognitive reappraisal and negative academic emotion was also a significant predictor of psychological well-being. In the simple slope analysis the group with a below average cognitive reappraisal score the negative academic emotions were associated with lower psychological well-being, whereas in the group with above average cognitive reappraisal the effect of negative academic emotions on psychological well-being was not significant. However, for those with a cognitive reappraisal score of 1 standard deviation above the average, the effect of negative academic emotions on psychological well-being was not significant. These results suggest that cognitive reappraisal was a significant moderator in the relationship between negative academic emotion and psychological well-being.

Highlights

During the past three decades, China has probably experienced the largest peacetime population movement in history (Jin et al, 2012)
Psychological well-being was positively correlated with cognitive reappraisal (r = 0.367, p < 0.01) and this correlation remained significant when controlling for gender, TABLE 1 | Descriptive statistics and Pearson correlations
The other almost horizontal line represents the relationship between negative academic emotions and psychological well-being when cognitive reappraisal was above average-when the z value of cognitive reappraisal was 1 SD above the average. These analyses revealed that, in those with a cognitive reappraisal score of 1 SD below the average, there was a significant relationship between negative academic emotions and psychological well-being, indicating that higher negative academic emotions were associated with lower psychological well-being

Summary

Introduction

During the past three decades, China has probably experienced the largest peacetime population movement in history (Jin et al, 2012). Rural-to-urban migrant children and adolescents are often students aged 7–18 years, whose parents or other guardians maintain a household in rural areas, but who live for 3 months or more in a different city (Ye et al, 2016). Rural-to-urban migrant students may have more emotional disorders (such as tiredness, disappointment, and anxiety) when trying to adapt to the urban life (Chen, 2014). The rural-to-urban migrant student’s family SES may be improved significantly by moving from rural to urban areas. The strengthen of family SES will bring the improvement of rural-to-urban migrant students’ studying and living conditions and promote them to adapt to urban life quickly. Rural-to-urban migrant students may still have more emotional disorders

Objectives

Methods

Results

Conclusion