The Influence of Growth Mindset on the Mental Health and Life Events of College Students

Weidong Tao; Dongchi Zhao; Huilan Yue; Isabel Horton; Xiuju Tian; Zhen Xu; Hong-Jin Sun

doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2022.821206

The Influence of Growth Mindset on the Mental Health and Life Events of College Students

Front Psychol. 2022 Apr 14:13:821206. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.821206. eCollection 2022.

Authors

Weidong Tao¹, Dongchi Zhao¹, Huilan Yue¹, Isabel Horton², Xiuju Tian¹, Zhen Xu¹, Hong-Jin Sun²

Affiliations

¹ Department of Psychology, School of Teacher Education, Huzhou University, Huzhou, China.
² Department of Psychology, Neuroscience & Behaviour, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada.

Abstract

Growth mindset refers to our core belief that our talents can be developed through practice, which may influence our thoughts and behaviors. Growth mindset has been studied in a variety of fields, including education, sports, and management. However, few studies have explored whether differences in individuals' growth mindsets influence college students' self-reported mental health. Using the Growth Mindset Scale, Adolescent Self-rating Life Events Checklist, and SCL-90 Scale, data was collected from 2,505 freshmen in a University in China. Findings revealed that the students within the growth mindset group scored significantly lower on "mental health issues" and "stress due to life events" than the students in the fixed mindset group. Our findings suggest that individuals with a growth mindset are less prone to mental health problems than individuals with a fixed mindset.

Keywords: college students; fixed mindset; growth mindset; life events; mental health.