51. The promoting effect of the teacher–student mutual assistance teaching model on students’ mental health

Abstract Background In recent years, mental health problems among college students have intensified, with a rapid increase in the detection rates of anxiety and depression. Statistics show that approximately 38.2% of students experience psychological distress, and 11.6% require intervention. Traditional teaching emphasizes knowledge transmission while neglecting emotional support. Teacher-student collaborative teaching enhances emotional adjustment and social support through emotional participation, collaborative learning, and psychological feedback. Given that mood disorders are an early manifestation of mental health issues, and research indicates that proactive intervention can promote recovery, it is necessary to explore the positive impact of this teaching model on students' mental health. Methods A total of 412 undergraduate students from three universities were randomly divided into a mutual assistance group (n = 207) and a traditional group (n = 205). The study lasted for 16 weeks. The mutual assistance group implemented a "collaborative learning + teacher psychological support + weekly emotional feedback talks" model, while the traditional group used conventional teaching methods. The Symptom Checklist-90 (SCL-90) and the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) were used for statistical analysis. Paired t-tests and two-way ANOVA were used for statistical analysis, with a significance level set at p.05). PSS scores indicated a 10.1% reduction in perceived stress in the mutual assistance group versus 2.8% in the traditional group. Positive affect improved by 15.6%, and interpersonal trust by 18.2% in the mutual assistance group, both significantly higher than in the traditional group (p