The negative effects of ego-depletion in junior high school students on displaced aggressive behavior and the counteraction of the natural environment.

The current study investigated the effects of ego-depletion in junior high school students on displaced aggressive behavior and the counteraction of the nature. Study 1 investigated the effects of ego-depletion on displaced aggressive behavior in junior high school students using a within-subject design, comparing the differences in displaced aggressive behavior between the induced ego-depletion condition and the non-induced ego-depletion condition. Results showed that junior high school students exhibited significantly higher levels of displaced aggressive behavior under the induced ego-depletion condition compared to the non-induced ego-depletion condition. Study 2 examined the role of the nature in the process of ego-depletion influencing displaced aggressive behavior. A 2 (ego-depletion: induced ego-depletion vs. non-induced ego-depletion) × 2 (picture type: blank picture vs. natural picture) mixed design was used. A picture-viewing task was inserted between the ego-depletion task and the displaced aggressive behavior task to compare the differences in displaced aggressive behavior between the group that viewed blank pictures and the group that viewed natural pictures. The results showed that under the induced ego-depletion condition, there was no significant difference in displaced aggressive behavior between viewing natural pictures and viewing blank pictures. However, after viewing blank pictures, displaced aggressive behavior under induced ego-depletion condition was significantly higher than under non-induced ego-depletion condition; after viewing natural pictures, there was no significant difference in displaced aggressive behavior between induced ego-depletion condition and non-induced ego-depletion condition. These results suggest that ego-depletion can increase displaced aggressive behavior in junior high school students, but this phenomenon is not observed after exposure to nature. The current study provides empirical evidence for investigating the effects of ego-depletion on displaced aggressive behavior.

EXPRESS: Word length and frequency effects in natural Chinese reading: Evidence for character representations in lexical identification.

Word length and frequency are two of the "big three" factors that affect eye movements in natural reading (Clifton et al., 2016). Whilst these factors have been extensively investigated, all previous studies manipulating word length have been confounded with changes in visual complexity (longer words have more letters and are more visually complex). We controlled stroke complexity across one-character (short) and two-character (long) high- and low-frequency Chinese words (to avoid complexity confounds) and recorded readers' eye movements during sentence reading. Both word length and frequency yielded strong main effects for fixation time measures. For saccadic targeting and skipping probability, word length effects, but not word frequency effects, occurred. Critically, the interaction was not significant regardless of stroke complexity, indicating that word length and frequency independently influence lexical identification and saccade target selection during Chinese reading. The results provide evidence for character level representations during Chinese word recognition in natural reading.

The relationship between trait anger and reactive aggressive behavior in middle school students: the mediating role and intervention of hostile attribution bias.

BACKGROUND: The reactive aggressive behavior in individuals typically shows a rapid growth trend as individuals enter adolescence, and peaks during middle-school period. According to the Comprehensive Cognitive Model of Trait Anger, trait anger and hostile attribution bias play important roles in the development of reactive aggressive behavior. Based on this, current study explored the relationship between trait anger and reactive aggressive behavior in middle school students, as well as the mediating role of hostile attribution bias and interventions. METHODS: The current study consisted of three sub-studies. Study 1 recruited 87 middle school students with an average age of 12.367 ± 0.889 years, investigated the relationship between trait anger and reactive aggressive behavior, as well as the mediating role of trait hostile attribution bias. Study 2 recruited 62 middle school students with an average age of 13.376 ± 0.963 years, investigated the relationship between trait anger and reactive aggressive behavior, as well as the mediating role of state hostile attribution bias. Study 3 recruited 80 middle school students with an average age of 13.392 ± 0.977 years, implemented an intervention targeting trait hostile attribution bias in middle school students with high trait anger to reduce their reactive aggressive behavior. In current study, data management was performed using SPSS 22.0. Descriptive statistics, independent samples t-test, paired samples t-test, repeated measures analysis of variance (ANOVA), and path analysis were used for statistical analysis. FINDINGS: The results of Study 1 showed that trait anger predicted reactive aggressive behavior through trait hostile attribution bias. The results of Study 2 indicated that trait and state hostile attribution bias played mediating role intermediary, and trait hostile attribution bias had a stronger mediating effect than state hostile attribution bias. The results of Study 3 suggested that the intervention effectively decreased trait hostile attribution bias and reactive aggressive behavior. CONCLUSIONS: Trait anger can predict the reactive aggressive behavior of junior high school students, with trait hostility attribution bias and state hostility attribution bias mediating this relationship. Intervening in the hostility attribution bias of high-anger junior high school students can effectively reduce their reactive aggressive behavior.

Online chasing action recruits both mirror neuron and mentalizing systems: A pilot fNIRS study.

Engaging in chasing, where an actor actively pursues a target, is considered a crucial activity for the development of social skills. Previous studies have focused predominantly on understanding the neural correlates of chasing from an observer's perspective, but the neural mechanisms underlying the real-time implementation of chasing action remain poorly understood. To gain deeper insights into this phenomenon, the current study employed functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) techniques and a novel interactive game. In this interactive game, participants (N = 29) were tasked to engage in chasing behavior by controlling an on-screen character using a gamepad, with the goal of catching a virtual partner. To specifically examine the brain activations associated with the interactive nature of chasing, we included two additional interactive actions: following action of following the path of a virtual partner and free action of moving without a specific pursuit goal. The results revealed that chasing and following actions elicited activation in a broad and overlapping network of brain regions, including the temporoparietal junction (TPJ), medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC), premotor cortex (PMC), primary somatosensory cortex (SI), and primary motor cortex (M1). Crucially, these regions were found to be modulated by the type of interaction, with greater activation and functional connectivity during the chasing interaction than during the following and free interactions. These findings suggested that both the MNS, encompassing regions such as the PMC, M1 and SI, and the mentalizing system (MS), involving the TPJ and mPFC, contribute to the execution of online chasing actions. Thus, the present study represents an initial step toward future investigations into the roles of MNS and MS in real-time chasing interactions.

Column setting and text justification influence return-sweep eye movement behavior during Chinese multi-line reading.

People regularly read multi-line texts in different formats and publishers, internationally, must decide how to present text to make reading most effective and efficient. Relatively few studies have examined multi-line reading, and fewer still Chinese multi-line reading. Here, we examined whether texts presented in single or double columns, and either left-justified or fully-justified affect Chinese reading. Text format had minimal influence on overall reading time; however, it significantly impacted return-sweeps (large saccades moving the eyes from the end of one line of text to the beginning of the next). Return-sweeps were launched and landed further away from margins and involved more corrective saccades in single- than double-column format. For left- compared to fully-justified format, return-sweeps were launched and landed closer to margins. More corrective saccades also occurred. Our results showed more efficient return-sweep behavior for fully- than left-justified text. Moreover, there were clear trade-off effects such that formats requiring increased numbers of shorter return-sweeps produced more accurate targeting and reduced numbers of corrective fixations, whereas formats requiring reduced numbers of longer return-sweeps caused less accurate targeting and an increased rate of corrective fixations. Overall, our results demonstrate that text formats substantially affect return-sweep eye movement behavior during Chinese reading without affecting efficiency and effectiveness, that is, the overall time it takes to read and understand the text.

Long-Term Bridge Training Induces Functional Plasticity Changes in the Brain of Early-Adult Individuals.

The aim of this study was to investigate the impact of extended bridge expertise on rapid perceptual processing and brain functional plasticity in early adulthood, utilizing functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). In this investigation, we compared 6 high-level college bridge players with 25 college students lacking bridge experience, assessing their intelligence and working memory. Additionally, we scrutinized behavioral performance and whole-brain activation patterns during an image perceptual judgment task. Findings indicated significant group and interaction effects at the behavioral level. Bridge players exhibited prolonged reaction times and enhanced accuracy on card tasks. At the neural level, the activation level of bridge players in the occipital lobe exceeded that of ordinary college students, with more pronounced group effects in the motor area and inferior parietal lobule during card tasks. This implies that bridge expertise in early adulthood induces functional plasticity changes in regions associated with visual processing and automated mathematical computation.

The Effect of Bystander Features on Displaced Aggression in Provocative Situations among Male Juvenile Delinquents.

Two studies were conducted to explore the influence of bystander features of displaced aggression in provocative situations among male juvenile delinquents. Study 1 examined the differences in displaced aggression between provoked male juvenile delinquents in the presence or absence of bystanders. The results revealed that provoked male juvenile delinquents exhibited significantly higher levels of displaced aggression when bystanders were present compared to when they were not. Study 2 further manipulated the bystanders' trigger level and investigated the differences in displaced aggression exhibited by provoked male juvenile delinquents towards highly versus lowly triggered bystanders. The results indicated that after low provocation, male juvenile delinquents exhibited significantly higher levels of displaced aggression towards highly triggered bystanders compared to lowly triggered bystanders. These findings demonstrated that male juvenile delinquents exhibited a high level of displaced aggression towards bystanders in provocative situations, particularly with highly triggered bystanders. This study supported the personality and social model of displaced aggression, emphasizing that bystanders, especially those with high triggers, were more likely to become targets of displaced aggression. The current study provides references for subsequent criminal rehabilitation and crime prevention.

Emotional Regulation of Displaced Aggression in Provocative Situations among Junior High School Students.

This study investigated the emotion regulation effect of displaced aggression among junior high school students after provocation through two experiments. Experiment 1 examined the effect of displaced aggression on the negative and positive emotions of junior high school students after low- and high-level provocation. The results showed that only after high-level provocation did individuals experience a significant decrease in negative emotions and a significant increase in positive emotions after engaging in displaced aggression. Experiment 2 explored the effect of aggressive intensity on negative and positive emotions after provocation. The results indicated that, in terms of changes in positive emotions, low-intensity aggression showed a significant increase in positive emotions after aggression. Regarding changes in negative emotions, both low-intensity aggression and high-intensity aggression resulted in significant decreases in negative emotions after aggression. In conclusion, this research showed that, in highly provocative situations, displaced aggression among junior school students, especially low-intensity displaced aggression, could increase positive emotions and decrease negative emotions. These results support the emotional regulation theory of aggression. However, considering that displaced aggression violates social norms, efforts should be made to avoid individuals regulating their emotions through displaced aggression, instead guiding them toward using more appropriate methods for emotional regulation in future research and practical applications.

The Aesthetic Developmental Characteristics of Contour Features in Children and Adolescents with High- and Low- Level Visual Aesthetic Sensitivity across Grade Levels.

This study examined the aesthetic developmental characteristics of contour features (curved and sharp corners) among children and adolescents with different levels (high and low) of visual aesthetic sensitivity in three grades (4, 6, and 8). The results revealed that (1) there was a significant main effect of contour features, with children and adolescents liking curved contours and perceiving them as more beautiful than sharp-angled contours; (2) there was a significant interaction with contour features in grades 6 and 4, and there was no significant difference in liking curved contours and perceiving them to be more beautiful between students in grades 6 and 4. However, grade 6 students disliked sharp-angled contours and perceived them as more unattractive than grade 4 students; and (3) there was a significant interaction between the level of visual aesthetic sensitivity and contour features, as children and adolescents with both high and low levels of visual aesthetic sensitivity preferred curved contours and considered them more beautiful. However, children and adolescents with high-level visual aesthetic sensitivity disliked sharp-angled contours and considered them more unattractive compared to students with low-level visual aesthetic sensitivity. The results proposed that children and adolescents preferred curved contours, 6th graders were more sensitive to curved contours than 4th graders, and children and adolescents with high-level visual aesthetic sensitivity were more sensitive to sharp-angled contours than children and adolescents with low-level visual aesthetic sensitivity.

It Was Like Going to a Battlefield: Lived Experience of Frontline Nurses Supporting Two Hospitals in Wuhan During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Introduction: The literature indicates that pandemics significantly impact the mental health of frontline health workers. While the effects of COVID-19 on the mental health of frontline nurses have been studied, their lived experiences remain insufficiently explored. Objective: This study aims to investigate the lived experience of nurses who were deployed to support Wuhan during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: This study adopted a qualitative study design. A purposive sample of fifteen nurses were recruited from a group of nurses who supported Wuhan during COVID-19 pandemic. The data was collected during May and June 2020. Data collection occurred in May and June 2020, employing semistructured interviews conducted via telephone. Interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) was utilized to analyze the collected data by two independent researchers. This report follows the COREQ checklist. Results: Frontline nurses supporting Wuhan likened their experience to being on a battlefield. Four superordinate themes emerged: (1) mobilization for combating COVID-19; (2) rapid adaption to a dynamic high-stress environment; (3) navigating psychological distress; and (4) the journey home. Conclusion: This study offers comprehensive insights into the lived experience of nurses deployed from other provinces to assist COVID patients in Wuhan. The findings indicate that despite facing a variety of challenges, these frontline nurses were capable of rapid adaptation and successfully fulfilled their roles. Recommendations for future preparedness in public health emergencies are provided. Additionally, follow-up research is warranted to explore the long-term effects of frontline experience on the mental health of the nurses and their family members.

Altered resting-state brain function in endurance athletes.

Previous research has confirmed significant differences in regional brain activity and functional connectivity between endurance athletes and non-athletes. However, no studies have investigated the differences in topological efficiency of the brain functional network between endurance athletes and non-athletes. Here, we compared differences in regional activities, functional connectivity, and topological properties to explore the functional basis associated with endurance training. The results showed significant correlations between Regional Homogeneity in the motor cortex, visual cortex, cerebellum, and the training intensity parameters. Alterations in functional connectivity among the motor cortex, visual cortex, cerebellum, and the inferior frontal gyrus and cingulate gyrus were significantly correlated with training intensity parameters. In addition, the graph theoretical analysis results revealed a significant reduction in global efficiency among athletes. This decline is mainly caused by decreased nodal efficiency and nodal local efficiency of the cerebellar regions. Notably, the sensorimotor regions, such as the precentral gyrus and supplementary motor areas, still exhibit increased nodal efficiency and nodal local efficiency. This study not only confirms the improvement of regional activity in brain regions related to endurance training, but also offers novel insights into the mechanisms through which endurance athletes undergo changes in the topological efficiency of the brain functional network.

Factors influencing older adults' acceptance of voice assistants.

Introduction: Voice assistants (VAs) have the potential to uphold and enhance the quality of life for older adults. However, the extent to which older adults accept and benefit from VAs may be relatively modest. Methods: This study developed a comprehensive model combined with product and personal characteristics to explain the acceptance of VAs among older adults, using semi-structured interviews (Study 1) and questionnaires (Study 2). Results: Results revealed that in terms of product characteristics, perceived usefulness and perceived enjoyment significantly affect behavior intention. Regarding personal characteristics of older adults, technological self-efficacy and dispositional resistance to change significantly affect behavior intention. However, no direct impact of perceived ease of use and perceived trust on behavior intention. Additionally, perceived enjoyment influenced both perceived ease of use and perceived usefulness. Discussion: Results suggested the significant role of technology self-efficacy and dispositional resistance to change in predicting the acceptance of VAs among older adults. Our newly developed model offers valuable insights for tailoring VAs to this demographic during design and implementation.

The effect of part-list cuing on associative recognition.

The modulation of part-list cuing on item memory has been well-documented, whereas its impact on associative memory remains largely unknown. The present study explored the effect of part-list cuing on associative recognition and, more specifically, whether this forgetting effect caused by part-list cuing is more sensitive to recollection or familiarity in recognition memory. Experiments 1a and 1b combined the intact/rearranged/new judgement task of associative recognition with the classical part-list cuing paradigm, and the result showed that part-list cuing impaired the recognition accuracy of "intact" and "rearranged" face-scene pairs. Moreover, the discriminability score of relational recognition and item recognition was significantly decreased in the part-list cuing condition compared to the no-part-list cuing condition. Experiments 2a and 2b further used the Remember/Know/Guess task to explore which recognition processes (recollection vs. familiarity) were sensitive to the presentation of part-list cuing. The results showed that part-list cuing reduced the familiarity of relational recognition and the recollection and familiarity of item recognition. These findings suggest that part-list cuing was harmful to the recognition of relationships (familiarity) and items (recollection and familiarity) in associative memory.

Space-time mapping relationships in sensorimotor communication during asymmetric joint action.

Background: Sensorimotor communication is frequently observed in complex joint actions and social interactions. However, it remains challenging to explore the cognitive foundations behind sensorimotor communication. Methods: The present study extends previous research by introducing a single-person baseline condition and formulates two distinct categories of asymmetric joint action tasks: distance tasks and orientation tasks. This research investigates the action performance of 65 participants under various experimental conditions utilizing a 2 (cooperative intention: Coop, No-coop) × 2 (task characteristic: distance, orientation) × 4 (target: T1, T2, T3, T4) repeated-measures experimental design to investigate the cognitive mechanisms underlying sensorimotor communication between individuals. Results: The results showed that (1) target key dwell time, motion time, total motion time, and maximum motion height in the Coop condition are more than in the No-coop condition. (2) In the distance task without cooperative intention, the dwell time of T4 is smaller than T1, T2, T3, and its variability of T1, T2, T3, and T4 were no different. In the distance task with cooperative intention, the dwell time and its variability of T1, T2, T3, and T4 displayed an increasing trend. (3) In the orientation task without cooperative intention, the dwell time of T1 is smaller than T2, T3, T4, and variability of the target keys T1, T2, T3, and T4 had no difference. In the orientation task with cooperative intention, the dwell time and variability of the target keys T1, T2, T3, and T4 had increasing trends. Conclusions: Those findings underscore the importance of cooperative intention for sensorimotor communication. In the distance task with cooperative intention, message senders establish a mapping relationship characterized by "near-small, far-large" between the task distance and the individual's action characteristics through sensorimotor experience. In the orientation task with cooperative intention, message senders combined sensorimotor experience and verbal metaphors to establish a mapping relationship between task orientation and action characteristics, following the sequence of "left-up, right-up, left-down, right-down" to transmit the message to others.

Orbital frontal cortex functional connectivity during gain anticipation linking the rumination and non-suicidal self-injury in late adolescence.

OBJECTIVE: Non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) is prevalent and especially among the adolescence population. It has been argued that abnormal brain activations in reward processing could be regarded as objective biomarkers in NSSI, but the evidence is mixed. This study aims to explore the reward processing mechanism of NSSI from the perspective of functional brain circuitry and investigate the role of a cognitive factor (rumination). METHOD: Seventy-one 17-21 years old participants performed a monetary incentive delay (MID) task during functional magnetic resonance imaging scanning. Psychophysiological interaction (PPI) analysis was used to test the inner-group differences of brain functional connectivity. In addition, a mediation model was established with the mediation effect of rumination on the relationship between functional brain circuitry and NSSI. RESULTS: PPI analysis suggested that functional connectivity of the orbital frontal cortex (OFC) (with precuneus, SMA) was significantly enhanced in NSSI in the gain > loss contrast, but not in the loss > gain contrast. Mediation analysis revealed that rumination mediated the relationship between NSSI and the OFC- precuneus functional connectivity in the gain > loss contrast. CONCLUSION: Our research revealed that the abnormal OFC functional connectivity in gain (not loss) anticipation can be served as the sensitive biomarkers of NSSI. And there was a chain path for NSSI, that was from functional brain circuitry to negative cognition and then to problem behavior.

Processing multiconstituent units: Preview effects during reading of Chinese words, idioms, and phrases.

Arguably, the most contentious debate in the field of eye movement control in reading has centered on whether words are lexically processed serially or in parallel during reading. Chinese is character-based and unspaced, meaning the issue of how lexical processing is operationalized across potentially ambiguous, multicharacter strings is not straightforward. We investigated Chinese readers' processing of frequently occurring multiconstituent units (MCUs), that is, linguistic units composed of more than a single word, that might be represented lexically as a single representation. In Experiment 1, we manipulated the linguistic category of a two-constituent Chinese string (word, MCU, or phrase) and the preview of its second constituent (identical or pseudocharacter) using the boundary paradigm with the boundary located before the two-constituent string. A robust preview effect was obtained when the second constituent, alongside the first, formed a word or MCU, but not a phrase, suggesting that frequently occurring MCUs are lexicalized and processed parafoveally as single units during reading. In Experiment 2, we further manipulated the phrase type of a two-constituent but three-character Chinese string (idiom with a one-character modifier and a two-character noun, or matched phrase) and the preview of the second constituent noun (identity or pseudocharacter). A greater preview effect was obtained for idioms than phrases, indicating that idioms are processed to a greater extent in the parafovea than matched phrases. Together, the results of these two experiments suggest that lexical identification processes in Chinese can be operationalized over linguistic units that are larger than an individual word. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Ingroup favoritism on perceived risk of infectious diseases.

Humans live in social groups; thus, infectious diseases may threaten human health and safety. Do individuals exhibit ingroup favoritism or ingroup devaluation when faced with varying risks of infectious diseases? We generated relatively realistic disease scenarios to examine this question. We reported the results from three experiments in which we tested individuals' perceived disease risk from ingroup and outgroup members under high- and low-risk conditions. Experiment 1 used a realistic influenza scenario, and Experiments 2 and 3 used a realistic scenario of exposure to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). All three experiments showed that perceived disease risk was significantly lower from ingroup members than from outgroup members and significantly lower in low-risk conditions than in high-risk conditions. Furthermore, the perceived disease risk was significantly lower from ingroup members than from outgroup members in high-risk conditions but did not significantly differ in low-risk conditions, as in Experiment 1's influenza scenario and Experiment 2's COVID-19 vaccination scenario. This suggests that ingroup favoritism is flexible. The results support ingroup favoritism and the functional flexibility principle in response to disease threats according to perceived disease risk.

Universality in eye movements and reading: A replication with increased power.

Liversedge, Drieghe, Li, Yan, Bai and Hyönä (2016) reported an eye movement study that investigated reading in Chinese, Finnish and English (languages with markedly different orthographic characteristics). Analyses of the eye movement records showed robust differences in fine grained characteristics of eye movements between languages, however, overall sentence reading times did not differ. Liversedge et al. interpreted the entire set of results across languages as reflecting universal aspects of processing in reading. However, the study has been criticized as being statistically underpowered (Brysbaert, 2019) given that only 19-21 subjects were tested in each language. Also, given current best practice, the original statistical analyses can be considered to be somewhat weak (e.g., no inclusion of random slopes and no formal comparison of performance between the three languages). Finally, the original study did not include any formal statistical model to assess effects across all three languages simultaneously. To address these (and some other) concerns, we tested at least 80 new subjects in each language and conducted formal statistical modeling of our data across all three languages. To do this, we included an index that captured variability in visual complexity in each language. Unlike the original findings, the new analyses showed shorter total sentence reading times for Chinese relative to Finnish and English readers. The other main findings reported in the original study were consistent. We suggest that the faster reading times for Chinese subjects occurred due to cultural changes that have taken place in the decade or so that lapsed between when the original and current subjects were tested. We maintain our view that the results can be taken to reflect universality in aspects of reading and we evaluate the claims regarding a lack of statistical power that were levelled against the original article.

Exploring factors affecting Chinese adolescents' perceived usefulness and engagement with a stress management app: a qualitative study.

Introduction: Providing adolescents with stress management interventions via mobile apps has potential for overcoming barriers to traditional in-person services, such as stigma, cost and travel. However, the effectiveness remains uncertain and engagement level remains low. Therefore, it is essential to understand adolescents' user experience of such apps, however, such research is scarce. This study aimed to address this research gap by exploring factors affecting Chinese adolescents' perceived usefulness and engagement of a stress management app, which was developed for them. Methods: A qualitative study design involving focus group interviews and inductive thematic analysis was adopted. A purposive sampling method was employed, resulting in five focus groups (n = 39 adolescents). Results: Two themes emerged: (1) mechanism and determinants of usefulness and (2) facilitators and barriers to engagement. The app was found to be helpful in managing chronic and simple stressors by promoting positive behavior, cognition, and physical changes. Relevance to real-life situations, peer support, and planning and monitoring features were found to increase usefulness. Participants suggested adding one-on-one chat support for managing acute stressors. Multimedia, logical content arrangement, combining psychoeducation and skills training, gamification, customization, and an appealing user interface were engaging factors for adolescents, whilst text-heavy content, pedagogical and monotonous tones, technical issues were found to disengage adolescents. Conclusion: Stress management apps should involve simple and evidence-based coping skills training, target adolescents' real-life problems, promote positive peer influence, address both chronic and acute stressors. Additionally, such apps should have logical arrangement of content, be interactive and customizable, and involve multimedia and gamification features to engage adolescents.

The feasibility, acceptability and efficacy of an app-based intervention (the Coping Camp) in reducing stress among Chinese school adolescents: A cluster randomised controlled trial.

OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to determine the efficacies of the Coping Camp app in reducing stress, depression, and anxiety and improving stress-coping behaviours and mental health wellbeing. Additionally, feasibility and acceptability of Coping Camp were evaluated. METHODS: In this unblinded cluster RCT, 540 participants from two high schools in China were randomly assigned to the Coping Camp intervention (n = 6 classes; 275 students) or treatment as usual (n = 5 classes; 265 students) at the class level. Coping Camp was an automated self-help app, consisting of 11 sessions delivered over 11 weeks, with primary outcomes including perceived stress, depression, anxiety, stress-coping behaviours, and mental health well-being. All outcomes were assessed at baseline, post-intervention (11 weeks), and follow-up (19 weeks), with efficacy analysed using linear mixed models and feasibility/acceptability measured by a 5-point Likert scale and qualitative feedback. RESULTS: At post-intervention and follow-up assessments, 75.4% and 81.7% of participants respectively attended. On average, participants logged in for 8.56 out of 11 sessions. Compared to the control group, the intervention group had significant reductions in levels of perceived stress (p = 0.01, d = 0.15 at T1; p < 0.001, d = 0.18 at T2), anxiety (p = 0.11; d = 0.08 at T1; p = 0.01; d = 0.13 at T2) and depression (p = 0.04, d = 0.11 at T1; p = 0.05, d = 0.10 at T2) but did not have a greater increase in stress-coping behaviours (p = 0.10 at T1; p = 0.97 at T2) or mental health wellbeing (p = 0.93 at T1; p = 0.08 at T2). The average ratings for each session were above 4, and qualitative feedback showed that most participants found the intervention to be "great," "good," and "useful." CONCLUSIONS: The Coping Camp is feasible, acceptable and effective in stress management among Chinese school adolescents.