The Joint Impact of Trait Competitiveness and Competitive Climate on Depressive Symptoms and Anxiety Among Adolescents

Competitive climate and individual competitive characteristics jointly affect the mental health of adolescents. Based on person-environment fit theory, this study aimed to examine the effects of the match between trait competitiveness and competitive climate on depressive symptoms and anxiety. In this study, data were collected from 2235 Chinese adolescents in the 10th to 12th grades (48.8% girls; M_age = 16.06 years, SD_age = 0.95). Self-reported depressive symptoms, general anxiety, trait competitiveness, and competitive climate were assessed. Polynomial regression analyses and response surface analyses indicated that in cases of congruence, as trait competitiveness and competitive climate increase, depressive symptoms and anxiety increase, as do their growth rate. In cases of incongruence, higher levels of depressive symptoms and anxiety are found when trait competitivenesså competitive climate compared to when competitive climateå trait competitiveness. And as trait competitiveness become increasingly higher than competitive climate, the level of depressive symptoms and anxiety were higher. This serves as a reminder for families and schools to place special emphasis on the mental health of adolescents with high levels of trait competitiveness who may exhibit high levels of depressive symptoms and anxiety.