Influence of perceived stress on executive function： the path of self-hate and negative affect in adolescents

BackgroundThe development of executive function in adolescents is influenced by many environmental factors. Previous studies have found that perceived stress is closely related to executive function， whereas its role in the mediation of executive function remains poorly studied.ObjectiveTo explore the role of negative affect and self-hate in mediating the relationship between perceived stress and executive function in adolescents， so as to assist the improvement of executive function in adolescents.MethodsQuestionnaires were administered to 7 734 adolescents from five junior and five senior high schools in Rizhao city， Shandong province from 1 to 30 May 2022. Data were collected using a self-made questionnaire， and adolescents were assessed using Perceived Stress Scale （PSS）， Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function-Self Report Version （BRIEF-SR）， Patient Health Questionnaire （PHQ-4） and Self-Hate Scale （SHS）. Spearman correlation analysis was conducted to examine the correlation between variables. A Bootstrap method was chosen to examine the mediation effect of self-hate and negative affect on the relationship between perceived stress and executive function in adolescents.ResultsA total of 7 012 （90.66%） valid questionnaires were retrieved. BRIEF-SR score was positively correlated with PSS， PHQ-4 and SHS scores （r=0.564， 0.653， 0.597， P