The role of negative affects as mediators in the relationship between stress and mental health in Ecuadorian adolescents

Authors

  • Rodrigo Moreta-Herrera Pontifical Catholic University of Ecuador; University of Girona https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0134-5927
  • Doris Zumba-Tello Pontifical Catholic University of Ecuador
  • Jaisalmer de Frutos-Lucas Complutense University of Madrid; Edith Cowan University
  • Stefanía Llerena-Freire Technological University Indoamerica https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5809-3332
  • Alexandra Salinas-Palma Higher Polytechnic School of the Litoral (ESPOL)
  • Almudena Trucharte-Martínez Camilo José Cela University

Keywords:

adolescence, emotion, stress, mediation, mental health

Abstract

Background

Stress and negative emotions have adverse consequences for the mental health of adolescents, an area that deserves further examination. These attributes are associated with each other and regularly interact in different ways. The way they exert an influence can be both direct and indirect, so the general objective is to elucidate the potential mediating effect of negative affects in the relationship between stress and mental health in Ecuadorian adolescents.

Participants and procedure

An explanatory and mediation design based on structural equation modeling (SEM) was applied with 1154 high school students from Ecuador (67.7% women) aged 14 to 19 years (M = 15.69).

Results

In our sample, the presence of stress and negative affect is moderate, while that of mental health problems is low. According to our final model, these variables covary with and influence each other in the following way: stress (X) has a direct effect on mental health (Y) and also an indirect effect mediated by negative affect (M). The structural regression model proposed explains 63.0% of the variance in mental health.

Conclusions

Stress exerts a relevant impact on mental health, both through direct and indirect pathways. The indirect pathway, mediated by negative affect, opens the door to novel interventional strategies to foster mental health.

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Published

2023-09-18

How to Cite

Moreta-Herrera, R., Zumba-Tello, D., de Frutos-Lucas, J., Llerena-Freire, S., Salinas-Palma, A., & Trucharte-Martínez, A. (2023). The role of negative affects as mediators in the relationship between stress and mental health in Ecuadorian adolescents. Health Psychology Report, 11(3), 241–251. Retrieved from https://czasopisma.bg.ug.edu.pl/index.php/HPR/article/view/9927

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