The associations between three mattering measures and exhaustion, loneliness, self-esteem, and hope across different educational levels: insights from primary, middle, high school, and university students

General mattering (GM), anti-mattering (AM), and fear of not mattering (FNM) are three critical mattering constructs that significantly impact students’ mental health. Previous studies have explored the associations between these constructs and variables such as exhaustion, loneliness, self-esteem, and hope among primary, middle school, high school, or university student samples. However, no single study has compared the three mattering constructs across different educational levels or investigated their varying associations with the aforementioned variables. To address these research gaps, the current study employed a convenience sampling to recruit 2034 primary school students, 1680 middle school students, 1862 high school students, and 3594 university students. The data were analyzed using multiple regression analyses and network analysis. The findings revealed that the disparities in the three mattering constructs were more pronounced between different educational stages than within specific grade levels of the same stage. GM was found to be positively associated with self-esteem and hope, and negatively associated with exhaustion and loneliness. Conversely, AM and FNM exhibited the opposite relationships with these variables. Furthermore, the strength of these associations varied across the different educational levels. This study examines mattering constructs and their associations across four educational levels, emphasizing the need for tailored interventions to enhance student well-being at different stages.