How Nostalgia Affects Middle School Students' Willingness to Ask for Help: The Role of Feeling Supported and Finding Meaning in Life

ABSTRACT Since the onset of the 21st century, the concept of nostalgia has evolved from individualized, emotionally driven private customization into a universal, societal, and national public phenomenon and cultural landscape, thereby constituting a form of “nostalgic culture” with widespread significance. Nostalgia refers to “a sentimental yearning for a specific period in the past” and is typically classified as a complex emotion encompassing both positive and negative dimensions. This study investigates the relationship between nostalgia, perceived social support, meaning in life, and help‐seeking willingness among middle school students through two empirical studies. Study 1 involved 726 middle school students (366 females, 360 males; mean age = 15.77, SD = 1.63) who completed the Southampton Nostalgia Scale (SNS), Perceived Social Support Scale (PSSS), Meaning in Life Questionnaire (MLQ), and a self‐report measure of help‐seeking willingness. The findings revealed significant correlations among nostalgia, perceived social support, meaning in life, and help‐seeking willingness. Furthermore, nostalgia indirectly influenced help‐seeking willingness via perceived social support and meaning in life. In Study 2, 281 middle school students (139 females, 142 males, Mage = 16.07, SD = 1.43) were randomly assigned to either a nostalgia induction group or a control group. Participants completed different reminiscence tasks followed by assessments of mood, perceived social support, meaning in life, and help‐seeking willingness. Results indicated that nostalgia positively predicted help‐seeking willingness, with perceived social support and meaning in life sequentially mediating this relationship. By integrating the concept of nostalgia into adolescent mental health research, this study highlights the potential benefits of nostalgia for promoting psychological well‐being and offers novel insights for future mental health education initiatives in primary and secondary schools.