Growing Minds, Diverging Paths: Psychological Suzhi Trajectories and Adolescent Adjustment in China

Psychological suzhi is a culturally rooted construct that emerged from China’s quality-oriented educational reform, aiming to promote positive adolescent development. It integrates cognitive, individuality, and adaptability qualities, forming a dynamic internal system that supports resilience and mental health in Chinese contexts. Despite its theoretical prominence in Chinese educational discourse, research on its developmental trajectory and long-term implications for adolescent adjustment remains limited. This three-year longitudinal study (six waves) followed 1812 middle school students (M_age = 12.56 years, SD = 0.73, 51.4% boys) and 2482 high school students (M_age = 15.43 years, SD = 0.60, 49.6% boys). Latent growth models revealed a general decline in psychological suzhi among middle school students and a gradual increase among high school students. Latent class growth models identified four distinct trajectory profiles for each developmental stage—middle school: top/stable (15.2%), high/decrease (42.9%), average/decrease (35.1%), and low/decrease (6.8%); high school: top/increase (9.5%), high/increase (41.9%), average/increase (38.5%), and low/increase (10.1%). Structural equation modeling showed that adolescents with higher psychological suzhi trajectories exhibited better mental health, fewer internalizing and externalizing problems, and stronger academic achievement. These patterns suggest that developmental changes in psychological suzhi are meaningfully linked to adolescents’ adjustment outcomes in China’s current, exam-oriented educational system. This study lays the groundwork for designing stage-specific, trajectory-based interventions to support students’ psychological development in Chinese secondary education.