Perceived cultural continuity, self-schemas, self-esteem, and psychological distress among members of ethnic groups with endangered scripts in Southwest China.

Introduction: Ethnic minorities whose languages and traditional scripts are being eroded in everyday use and education may experience weakened continuity of collective memory, identity, and values, thereby heightening their vulnerability to psychological distress. This study examines how perceived cultural continuity relates to psychological distress among ethnic minorities with endangered scripts in Southwest China and whether self-schemas and self-esteem serve as key psychological mechanisms in this association. Methods: This study conducted a community-based paper-and-pencil survey in March-April 2025 among adult members of four ethnic minority groups in Southwest China whose traditional scripts are endangered (Tibetan, Yi, Dai, and Naxi). Using convenience and snowball sampling, 500 questionnaires were distributed and 458 valid responses were obtained. Structural equation modeling with maximum likelihood estimation and bootstrapping in AMOS 23 was used to test the hypothesized relationships and mediation effects. Results: The study found that perceived cultural continuity was positively associated with self-schema and self-esteem, which in turn were negatively associated with psychological distress. Specifically, self-schemas and self-esteem both linked higher perceived cultural continuity to lower psychological distress, and a significant indirect effect confirmed that self-schemas and self-esteem jointly mediated the association between perceived cultural continuity and psychological distress. Discussion: The findings indicate that stronger perceived cultural continuity is associated with more coherent self-schemas, higher self-esteem, and lower psychological distress, suggesting that the preservation of cultural continuity can be internalized into a more stable and positive sense of self. These results underscore the importance of protecting endangered scripts and cultural practices not only as heritage resources but also as psychological assets that may buffer distress in minority communities.