Xiaoyu Li

Using one's signature strengths is a robust predictor of well‐being, yet the psychological mechanisms underlying this association remain insufficiently understood. Drawing on self‐determination theory's dual‐process model, the present study examined whether basic psychological need satisfaction and need frustration serve as parallel mediators of the relationship between daily signature strengths use (SSU) and three dimensions of well‐being, namely hedonic, eudaimonic, and social well‐being. A sample of 224 Chinese college students completed daily assessments for 14 consecutive days ( N = 2491 daily observations). Multilevel structural equation modeling with the 1‐1‐1 mediation framework revealed a striking level‐dependent asymmetry: At the within‐person level, need satisfaction, but not need frustration, mediated the daily SSU–well‐being relationship across all three outcomes, whereas at the between‐person level, need satisfaction mediated the associations with all three outcomes and need frustration mediated those with hedonic and eudaimonic well‐being only; the need satisfaction pathway was consistently stronger. Exploratory dimension‐specific analyses suggested a tentative pattern involving competence frustration at the between‐person level, although this finding was based on a single‐item measure. These findings support the proposed role of need satisfaction as an important mechanism linking daily strengths use to multidimensional well‐being.

Adolescence is a period of significant developmental plasticity, offering opportunities to foster positive strengths. Research has suggested that positive youth development (PYD) varies across individuals and cultures; however, there is still limited understanding of how PYD evolves over time, particularly in non‐Western cultural contexts. To address this gap, the current study employed latent profile analysis and latent transition analysis to identify distinct PYD profiles, examine transitions between profiles, and investigate the predictive roles of interpersonal relationships. A total of 1680 Chinese adolescents (45.9% male, M _age = 15.42 years) participated in assessments at three time points with 6‐month intervals. The results identified three profiles: asset‐poor, moderate, and prosperous. The asset‐poor subgroup exhibited the highest probabilities of transition, whereas the prosperous subgroup exhibited the greatest stability. Both the asset‐poor and moderate subgroups showed a tendency to transition toward more adaptive profiles. Multivariate logistic regression analyses revealed that parent–child relationships and school interpersonal relationships exerted different effects on transitions in PYD profiles. These findings highlight the value of developing tailored interventions that strengthen adolescents' inherent strengths in line with their specific patterns, thereby supporting all adolescents in achieving optimal development.

Purpose: This paper aims to examine the relationship between time poverty and hotel employees’ proactive service behavior by identifying future self-continuity as a mediator and competitive climate as a moderator. Design/methodology/approach: This research uses a multimethod design to test the hypotheses. Study 1 uses a recall-based experiment with 220 hotel employees to establish causality. Study 2 draws on a two-wave field survey of 298 employees from five hotels in China to enhance ecological validity and test the boundary conditions. Findings: The findings reveal that time poverty significantly undermines hotel employees’ proactive service behavior, thereby establishing the mediating role of future self-continuity. Furthermore, competitive climate moderates this effect such that the indirect negative effect becomes stronger when competitive climate is high. Practical implications: This study helps hotel managers understand the impact of time poverty on employees and offers practical guidance for monitoring and alleviating it through employee-centered scheduling, workload redistribution and protected time, thereby sustaining employees’ proactive service behavior. Originality/value: This study examines hospitality employees’ time poverty by shifting attention from the tourists’ temporal experiences, which have dominated prior research, to employees’ chronic scarcity. Moving beyond the affective and cognitive reactions emphasized in earlier studies, it reveals an identity-based mechanism grounded in self-control theory. It further identifies competitive climate as an organizational boundary condition that managers can redesign or reduce to contain the behavioral costs of time poverty.

Positive Youth Development (PYD) theory emphasizes strengths that emerge from person–context exchanges, yet item‐level, time‐ordered relations among PYD attributes (i.e., Competence, Confidence, Character, Caring, and Connection) remain unclear in high‐pressure school systems. Using four‐wave data from a cohort of grade 10 students in three public high schools in Shouguang, Shandong Province, China, we examined time‐ordered relations among the 16‐item Chinese Positive Youth Development–Very Short Form (PYD‐VSF). At baseline, N = 2086 (Mage = 15.41, SD = 0.52; 53.74% girls); wave‐level participation was T2 = 1522, T3 = 1860, and T4 = 1776, with lag‐specific analytic samples of 1296–1550 across adjacent intervals. We estimated cross‐lagged panel networks (CLPNs) for each successive wave pair using LASSO‐regularized regression, summarized networks with out‐ and in‐expected influence. Across intervals, connection‐related indicators tended to occupy relatively upstream positions, showing stronger prospective associations with subsequent changes in other PYD indicators, whereas caring indicators more often appeared relatively downstream. Findings indicate that connection indicators were relatively more predictive within the observed system; stronger perceived relational support was prospectively associated with subsequent increases in caring. Clarifying these developmental dynamics can inform interventions to enhance adolescents' mental health and well‐being in high‐pressure contexts.

Guided by Stage-Environment Fit and Relational Developmental Systems frameworks, this three-wave study examined longitudinal, bidirectional associations between perceived school climate and the Five Cs (5Cs) of Positive Youth Development (PYD) among Chinese adolescents. Participants were a school-based open-panel sample of 2,350 students in Grades 10 and 11 recruited through schoolwide psychological screening in three public high schools in Shouguang City, China. The Delaware School Climate Survey-Student (DSCS-S) and Positive Youth Development-Very Short Form (PYD-VSF) were administered on three occasions approximately 4–5 months apart. Cross-lagged panel network (CLPN) models estimated conditional associations among school climate facets and PYD dimensions across adjacent school terms. From T1 to T2, the larger selected cross-domain associations were mainly from PYD Connection to later perceived school climate, including later lower bullying schoolwide, teacher-student relations, respect for diversity, clarity of expectations, and peer relations. From T2 to T3, PYD Connection again showed larger associations with later perceived school climate, and clearer climate-to-PYD associations also emerged: student-student relations were associated with later Confidence and Competence, and fairness of rules was associated with later Connection. Connection showed the largest bridge expected influence across both intervals, suggesting that students’ sense of connection and belonging was the most consistent cross-domain bridge in the estimated networks. Together, these findings point to relational connection as a key linkage between adolescents’ developmental strengths and their perceptions of school climate during the high school transition.

Depression is a significant psychological concern affecting adolescent development, yet research on latent subgroups and symptom interactions remains limited. Guided by an individual-centered approach and psychopathological network theory, this study surveyed 3,704 Chinese adolescents ( M age = 16.19, SD = 0.44) to explore latent subgroups of depression and their symptom networks using latent profile and network analysis. Three profiles emerged: normal, latent pathological, and pathological, with gender significantly predicting membership. Core symptoms included upset and low mood (normal and latent pathological) and poor appetite and low mood (pathological). Network comparisons revealed significant group differences. Findings highlight the need to monitor male students’ mental health and target core symptoms like upset, low mood in interventions.