Hall:

Chair and Discussant: Gan Yiqun

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This symposium integrates cutting-edge research to explore multidimensional pathways to mental health, addressing structural stigma, prosocial behavior, empathy, and nature-based interventions. The topic is highly relevant to the IAAP Congress, as it bridges macro-level social determinants with micro-level psychological processes using innovative methodologies—including network analysis, ecological momentary assessment, and machine learning causal inference—to advance health psychology in a complex world.
Qiao et al. open with a structural perspective, using psychometric network analysis to reveal how intersectional stigma among sexual and gender minorities is organized around racial and cultural domains. Their findings underscore the need for identity-specific public health interventions.
Deng introduces an intrapersonal lens, disentangling cognitive and emotional empathy within adolescent well-being networks. Their longitudinal network analysis reveals empathy's dual role, with cognitive empathy fostering vitality and emotional empathy posing potential risks—offering nuanced guidance for youth mental health promotion.
Gruszczyńska et al. shift to the interpersonal sphere, demonstrating through intensive longitudinal data that providing social support enhances affective well-being by satisfying basic psychological needs—challenging the conventional focus on support costs and highlighting sustained emotional benefits.
Chen concludes with an experiential and environmental approach, testing a nature-based photography intervention. Using machine learning causal forests, they show how meaning in life mediates well-being gains, especially among vulnerable groups—providing a scalable, non-stigmatizing mental health intervention aligned with global sustainability goals.
Together, these presentations offer a cohesive yet diverse exploration of well-being across social, relational, individual, and environmental dimensions.