Does a growth mindset curb anxiety among Chinese medical students? Validation based on propensity score matching

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BACKGROUND: Excessive anxiety is a common and hazardous mental disorder, especially in medical education. Positive psychology has proposed an effective path to reduce anxiety among medical students through mindset change. This study tests whether a growth mindset curbs anxiety in Chinese medical students. METHODS: The online cross-sectional survey was conducted among medical students enrolled in medical schools in Northeast China, yielding 3,114 valid responses (valid response rate = 89.2%). Data were statistically analyzed using STATA 17.0. The questionnaire covered sociodemographic statistics, the Growth Mindset Scale, and the Generalized Anxiety Disorder scale. Propensity score matching was utilized to investigate the causal relationship between a growth mindset and anxiety, thereby controlling for potential confounding variables. RESULTS: The detection rate of anxiety symptoms was 41.1%, and anxiety status significantly differed by scholarship, grades, parenting style, and academic stress. Propensity score matching showed a mean treatment effect of -0.096 in the one-to-one matching sample, and - 0.112 and - 0.126 for K-nearest-neighbor matching and kernel matching, respectively. All were significant at the 1% level. CONCLUSION: Medical students have a high prevalence of anxiety symptoms influenced by scholarship, grades, parenting style, and academic pressure. Furthermore, their growth mindset may help alleviate their anxiety, and it continues to develop as educators emphasize their health status. Fostering a growth mindset among Chinese medical students may promote their mental health, alleviate anxiety, and improve overall well-being. Parents should support their children to overcome anxiety and encourage them to try new things, and Chinese medical students are encouraged to continually adjust their mindset to cope with challenges positively. Educators should foster the cultivation of growth mindset in medical students through multidimensional interventions involving cognitive scaffolding, behavioral reinforcement, and environmental structuring, which consequently enhances their psychological well-being. CLINICAL TRIAL NUMBER: Not applicable.

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