European Journal of Investigation in Health, Psychology and Education

Background: Adolescent football players are exposed to substantial psychological demands, and psychosocial support within family and sport environments has been shown to influence motivational climate, stress responses, and emotional well-being. However, the comparative effects of coordinated multi-source psychosocial support from parents and coaches versus single-source support on psychological outcomes remain insufficiently examined. Aims: to examine the effects of a multi-component psychosocial program involving parents and coaches on depression, anxiety, stress, and self-regulation in adolescent football players. Methods: A total of 60 male adolescent soccer players were recruited and randomly assigned to four groups: combined supportive communication from both parents and coaches (SCCP; n = 15), supportive communication from coaches only (SCC; n = 15), supportive communication from parents only (SCP; n = 15), and a control group (CG; n = 15). Over a 12-week intervention period, participants attended 12 sessions incorporating structured supportive communication and related psychosocial strategies. Mental health outcomes were assessed using the Depression Anxiety Stress Scale (DASS-21), while self-regulation was measured with the Self-Regulation Questionnaire (SRQ). Results: The SCCP group demonstrated the largest improvements across outcomes, with reductions observed in anxiety, depression, and stress, and significant time effects for all mental health parameters. For depression, the time effect showed a (p < 0.001; η²p = 0.93 [Very large]; −45.77%). Anxiety scores also indicated a significant time effect (p < 0.001; η²p = 0.81 [Very large]; −46.55%). Stress demonstrated an exceptionally significant time effect (p < 0.001; η²p = 0.98 [Very large]; −48.29%). Additionally, the self-regulation outcomes showed significant improvements, with a time effect for the Planning subscale of the SRQ indicating (p < 0.001; η²p = 0.86 [Very large]; +66.38%). Conclusion: The findings provide preliminary evidence that a multi-component program involving parents and coaches is associated with improvements in depression, anxiety, stress, and self-regulation among adolescent football players. These results suggest that coordinated psychosocial support across family and sport environments may contribute to adolescent athletes’ psychological well-being, although replication in other cultural and sporting contexts is required.

Despite the pervasive role of digital platforms in contemporary higher education, existing measurement tools fail to capture students’ psychological dependence on online approval within academic contexts, focusing instead on technical competencies or clinical addiction symptoms. This study developed and psychometrically validated the Digital Validation Seeking Scale (DVSS), a multidimensional instrument measuring university students’ reliance on digital feedback for academic and identity confirmation. Two independent samples of Egyptian undergraduate students were recruited: an exploratory sample of 511 students and a confirmatory sample of 740 students from six universities. The DVSS underwent rigorous content validation by eleven experts, exploratory factor analysis (EFA) using Principal Axis Factoring with Promax rotation, and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) comparing competing structural models. Results revealed a robust four-factor structure comprising Academic Self-Quantification (ASQ), Feedback Hyper-vigilance (FHV), Social Comparison (SC), and Performative Studiousness (PS), with the first-order four-factor model demonstrating superior fit indices. The final 19-item scale exhibited excellent internal consistency, with Cronbach’s alpha coefficients ranging from 0.807 to 0.938 for subscales and total score, respectively, and strong test–retest reliability. The DVSS provides researchers and practitioners with a theoretically grounded, psychometrically sound instrument for identifying maladaptive digital validation patterns before they compromise academic engagement or psychological well-being, enabling targeted interventions within hybrid educational environments.

Background: Adolescence is a developmental window of heightened vulnerability to psychological distress, yet the interplay between pathology and protective factors remains understudied in a low-to-middle-income urban district in North Lima, Peru. This study examined the network structure of resilience, happiness, and mental health indicators in Peruvian adolescents to identify precise intervention targets. Methods: A sample of 559 adolescents (49.9% boys; M_age = 14.72, SD = 1.43) recruited from public secondary schools in Carabayllo, a low-to-middle-income urban district in North Lima, Peru, completed validated measures of resilience (CD-RISC-25), subjective happiness, and mental health (anxiety, depression, and stress). A Gaussian Graphical Model was estimated using non-regularized partial correlations. Node centrality, predictability, and network stability were assessed, and a Network Comparison Test evaluated structural differences by sex. Results: Anxiety, depression, and stress formed a tightly interconnected core, with the strongest edge between stress and anxiety. Among the psychological resources, self-regulation and external resources showed the highest centrality and predictability, followed by personal competence and tenacity. Happiness occupied a peripheral position but maintained a negative association with depression. The network demonstrated strong stability (CS = 0.75). No significant structural or global strength differences emerged between boys and girls. Conclusions: Findings challenge generic well-being approaches, revealing that happiness is a distal factor rather than a central buffer in this population. Instead, the network architecture suggests that interrupting the stress–anxiety loop and fostering self-regulation skills constitute the most effective pathways for school-based mental health protection, regardless of student gender.