Associations of academic stress with anxiety and depressive symptoms: the mediating role of emotional eating (opens in new tab)

BackgroundAcademic stress is a prominent stressor during adolescence. This study aimed to examine the multidimensional associations of academic stress with anxiety and depressive symptoms, as well as the potential mediating role of emotional eating.MethodsA cross-sectional survey was conducted among 608 adolescents and young adults (mean age: 18.78 years, girl: 66.61%) in southern China between July and September 2025. Academic stress was assessed using a validated multidimensional scale cove...