Heterogeneous profiles and transitions of early adolescents’ dual-factor mental health in China: longitudinal influences of emotion regulation strategies and perceived social support

Amid rapid social changes in China, understanding the patterns and influencing factors of early adolescents’ mental health is critical for capturing the evolving mental health landscape among youth. This longitudinal study aimed to identify heterogeneous dual-factor mental health profiles and examine their transitions and associated factors among early adolescents in southwestern China. Participants were 11- to 15-year-old adolescents recruited from southwestern China and assessed at three time points. Dual-factor mental health was assessed using indicators of depressive symptoms, anxiety symptoms, subjective well-being, and social adaptation. Latent profile analysis and latent transition analysis were conducted to identify mental health profiles and examine their stability and transitions over time. Regression analyses were performed to examine the associations of emotion regulation strategies and perceived social support with profile membership and transitions. Four heterogeneous mental health profiles were identified across assessments: Flourishing, Moderately Mentally Healthy, At-Risk, and Troubled. The At-Risk profile represented a distinct and relatively stable risk state, characterized by elevated psychological distress and relatively less impaired positive functioning than the Troubled profile. The profiles showed different stability and transition patterns, with an overall tendency toward intermediate mental health states over time. Cognitive reappraisal showed protective associations, whereas expressive suppression showed risk associations with mental health profiles and transitions. Among sources of perceived social support, family support demonstrated the most consistent protective associations, whereas perceived support from others showed more complex associations. These findings highlight the heterogeneity and dynamic nature of early adolescents’ mental health and underscore the importance of considering both psychological distress and positive functioning. These findings may inform more targeted prevention and intervention strategies that support adaptive emotion regulation and differentiated social support for adolescents experiencing elevated mental health risks.