Self-esteem as a psychosocial pathway between reading ability and psychological distress in Chinese early adolescents
Background: Reading ability is associated with adolescents’ self-esteem, and self-esteem is, in turn, closely related to mental health outcomes. However, the psychological mechanisms linking these three constructs remain unclear. Objective: This cross-sectional study aimed to explore the relationship between reading ability and general psychological distress among Chinese early adolescents and examine the mediating role of self-esteem, while controlling for literacy achievement. Methods: A total of 373 seventh-grade students were recruited. Reading ability was assessed via a battery of tests. General psychological distress and self-esteem were measured using the Chinese version of the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12) and the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale, respectively. Data were analyzed with correlation analysis, mediation analysis, and latent profile analysis (LPA). Results: Reading ability was positively correlated with self-esteem (r = 0.18), while self-esteem was significantly correlated with psychological distress (r = −0.60). The indirect association between reading ability and psychological distress through self-esteem was significant (indirect effect = −0.09, 95% confidence interval [−0.16, −0.02]), whereas the direct association was not significant. LPA identified poor readers (14.7%) and typical readers (85.3%); typical readers reported higher self-esteem (Cohen’s d = 0.29) and marginally better mental health (Cohen’s d = 0.26). Conclusion: These findings suggest that self-esteem may represent an important psychosocial factor linking reading ability with general psychological distress among early adolescents. The results highlight the potential value of school-based support that attends to both reading-related difficulties and students’ self-evaluations. Given the cross-sectional design, the findings should be interpreted as associations rather than evidence of causal relationships.