Implicit theories of mental health predict anxiety and depression during the COVID‐19 pandemic in China: The mediating effect of coping styles

Abstract This research investigated how implicit theories of mental health (ITMH) influence people's experience of anxiety and depression symptoms during the COVID‐19 pandemic in China. Two thousand and 44 Chinese completed the study during an emergent outbreak of the COVID‐19 pandemic in Shaanxi, China. The results suggested that ITMH significantly influence people's experience of anxiety and depression symptoms. Both active and passive coping styles significantly mediated the relationship between ITMH and anxiety/depression, with active coping style as a stronger mediator than passive coping style. Implications of the current research for improving people's mental health during pandemics of infectious diseases and directions for future research are discussed.