Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40757405›Full record

ArticleJournal of child psychology and psychiatry, and allied disciplines2026

Competition between the positive youth development and the psychopathological system among adolescents: less vulnerability or more scarring?

Shunsen Huang, Hanning Lei, Zhengqian Yang, Xiaoxiong Lai, Xia Wang, Cai Zhang, Yun Wang

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Journal of child psychology and psychiatry, and allied disciplines, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
3citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

3 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

7 authors.

Shunsen HuangState Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China.ORCID 0000-0002-9331-3107
Hanning LeiCollaborative Innovation Centre of Assessment for Basic Education Quality, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China.
Zhengqian YangState Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China.
Xiaoxiong LaiInstitute of Digital Education, China National Academy of Educational Sciences, Beijing, China.
Xia WangHaidian Institute of Education Sciences, Beijing, China.
Cai ZhangCollaborative Innovation Centre of Assessment for Basic Education Quality, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China.
Yun WangState Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China.

Funding

STI2030-Major Projects 2021ZD0200500
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundThe alleviating effect of positive youth development (PYD) on psychopathological symptoms (PS) represents the less vulnerability hypothesis, while the damaging effect of PS on PYD represents the competitional hypothesis or the scar hypothesis. This study aims to explore which hypothesis is more dominant and which component of PYD plays the central role across developmental stages and environmental adversity.

methodTwo longitudinal waves of 40,473 Chinese adolescents (48.4% girls, M

resultsThe results showed that competition indeed exists between the PYD and PS systems, while the alleviating effect of the PYD is greater than the damaging effect of the PS system, but less than the self-loop effect within the PS system. The PYD components with the most alleviating effects are self-esteem, emotion regulation and self-regulation. With adolescents maturing (early, middle and late adolescence), the alleviating effect surpasses the damaging effect and self-loop effect in the PS system. When adversity (low, moderate and high) increases in severity, the alleviating effect also surpasses the damaging effect and self-loop effect in the PS system. In addition, resilience plays a central role in alleviating the PS system only when adversity is high.

conclusionsCompared with the scar hypothesis, the less vulnerability hypothesis showed a more powerful impact. Early and adversity-aimed interventions aimed at promoting adolescents' positive attributes are the most beneficial. The central PYD components should be treated as core targets in future intervention programs.

Indexed as

Adolescent BehaviorAdolescent DevelopmentEmotional RegulationMental DisordersResilience, PsychologicalSelf ConceptSelf-ControlAdolescentChildChinaFemaleHumansLongitudinal StudiesMaleadolescentsdynamic system theoryPositive youth developmentpsychopathological symptoms

Identifiers

PMID40757405
PMCPMC12699124

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.