The association between need-supportive teaching and adolescent health: exploring the mediating role of academic stress

ABSTRACTIntroduction: Previous studies, based on self-determination theory (SDT), have primarily focused on the impact of need-supportive teaching (NST) on students' learning engagement, motivation, and academic outcomes. However, there has been limited attention given to exploring the association between NST and students' health, as well as the underlying mechanisms involved.Aims: The objective of this study was to investigate the association between NST and students' mental and physical health, while also considering the mediating role of academic stress.Methods:  A sample of 533 adolescent students, aged 10 to 18 years, was collected from Anyang City in Henan Province, China. The variables examined included NST, academic stress, and both mental and physical health. Descriptive analysis and structural equation modeling techniques were employed to analyze the data.Results: The results indicate a significant positive association between NST and both mental health (β = .68, p < .01) and physical health (β = .63, p < .01). (2) There is a significant negative association between NST and academic stress (β = −.33, p < .01). (3) Both mental health (β = −.33, p< .01) and physical health (β = −.32, p< .01) exhibited a significant negative relationship with academic stress. (4) Academic stress accounts for 18.4% and 19.4% of the variance in the association between NST and both mental and physical health.Conclusions: This study demonstrates a positive association between NST and both mental and physical health among adolescent students. Furthermore, academic stress was found to mediate the relationship between NST and both mental and physical health.