Beyond Engagement Alone: Heterogeneous Profiles of Academic Engagement and Mental Well-Being Among Chinese Adolescents.

Yaohua Zhang, Song Chang, Yunyun Huang, Min Xu, Xiaohui Xu, Sufei Xin

Abstract read

In one paragraph

Article in Behavioral sciences (Basel, Switzerland), 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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1 · What the graph read from it

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2 · The registry

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4 · The record

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5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors.

Yaohua ZhangCollege of Education, Collaborative Innovation Center for the Mental Health of Youth from the Era of Conversion of New and Old Kinetic Energy Along the Yellow River Basin, Provincial Experimental Teaching Demonstration Center of Psychology, Ludong University, Yantai 264025, China.ORCID 0009-0007-4999-5618

Song ChangCollege of Education, Collaborative Innovation Center for the Mental Health of Youth from the Era of Conversion of New and Old Kinetic Energy Along the Yellow River Basin, Provincial Experimental Teaching Demonstration Center of Psychology, Ludong University, Yantai 264025, China.

Yunyun HuangCollege of Education, Collaborative Innovation Center for the Mental Health of Youth from the Era of Conversion of New and Old Kinetic Energy Along the Yellow River Basin, Provincial Experimental Teaching Demonstration Center of Psychology, Ludong University, Yantai 264025, China.

Min XuCollege of Education, Collaborative Innovation Center for the Mental Health of Youth from the Era of Conversion of New and Old Kinetic Energy Along the Yellow River Basin, Provincial Experimental Teaching Demonstration Center of Psychology, Ludong University, Yantai 264025, China.

Xiaohui XuCollege of Education, Collaborative Innovation Center for the Mental Health of Youth from the Era of Conversion of New and Old Kinetic Energy Along the Yellow River Basin, Provincial Experimental Teaching Demonstration Center of Psychology, Ludong University, Yantai 264025, China.

Sufei XinCollege of Education, Collaborative Innovation Center for the Mental Health of Youth from the Era of Conversion of New and Old Kinetic Energy Along the Yellow River Basin, Provincial Experimental Teaching Demonstration Center of Psychology, Ludong University, Yantai 264025, China.

Funding

National Social Science Foundation of China 25BSH096

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Academic engagement and mental well-being are central indicators of adolescent development, yet how these domains jointly characterize heterogeneous patterns of adolescent functioning remains insufficiently understood. This study aimed to identify distinct engagement-well-being configurations among adolescents and to examine factors associated with profile membership and differences in perceived academic achievement across profiles. A sample of 1848 Chinese adolescents in Grades 7, 8, and 10 (ages 12-18 years) completed measures of academic engagement, mental well-being, and demographic, socioeconomic, and psychosocial characteristics. Latent profile analysis identified five distinct configurations, followed by multinomial logistic regression and distal outcome analyses. The resulting profiles were labeled Moderate Distress with Moderate Functioning, Psychologically Stable but Disengaged, Flourishing and Engaged, Distressed but Engaged, and Highly Vulnerable and Disengaged. Notably, relatively high engagement could coexist with psychological vulnerability, suggesting that engagement alone does not indicate optimal functioning. Psychosocial resources were consistently associated with more favorable profiles, while demographic and socioeconomic factors showed more variable associations. Perceived academic achievement differed across profiles, highlighting the value of considering academic engagement and mental well-being jointly when examining adolescents' perceived academic achievement. These findings underscore the value of a person-centered perspective for understanding adolescent development.

Indexed as

academic engagementadolescentlatent profile analysismental well-beingschool connectedness

Identifiers

PMID42792478

DOI10.3390/bs16091679

PMCPMC13603867

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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.