Stressful events and meaning-making toward them play an important role in adolescents’ life and growth. However, ignoring positive stressful events leads to negativity bias; further, the neural mechanisms of meaning-making are unclear. We aimed to verify the mediating role of meaning-making in stressful events and stress-related growth and the function of the default mode network (DMN) during meaning-making in this functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) study. Participants comprised 59 university students. Stressful life events, meaning-making, and stress-related growth were assessed at baseline, followed by fMRI scanning during a meaning-making task aroused by mental simulation. General linear modeling and psychophysiological interaction (PPI) analyses were used to explore the activation and functional connectivity of DMN during meaning-making. Mental simulation triggered meaning-making, and DMN activity decreased during meaning-making. Activation of the DMN was negatively correlated with coping flexibility, an indicator of stress-related growth. PPI analysis showed that meaning-making was accompanied by diminished connectivity in the DMN. DMN activation during meaning-making can mediate the relationship between positive stressful events and coping flexibility. Decreased DMN activity and diminished functional connectivity in the DMN occurred during meaning-making. Activation of the DMN during meaning-making could mediate the relationship between positive stressful events and stress-related growth, which provides a cognitive neural basis for the mediating role of meaning-making in the relationship between stressful events and indicators of stress-related growth. This study supports the idea that prosperity makes heroes, expands the meaning-making model, and suggests the inclusion of enhancing personal resources and meaning-making in education. This study was the first to validate the activation pattern and functional connectivity of the DMN during meaning-making aroused by mental simulation using an fMRI task-state examination, which can enhance our sense of meaning and provide knowledge that can be used in clinical psychology interventions. The study protocol was pre-registered in Open Science Framework (see osf.io/ahm6e for details).

中文翻译：

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默认模式网络在压力事件和压力相关成长之间心理模拟引起的意义建构过程中的中介作用：一项任务功能磁共振成像研究

压力事件和对其意义的理解在青少年的生活和成长中发挥着重要作用。然而，忽视积极的压力事件会导致消极偏见；此外，意义生成的神经机制尚不清楚。我们的目的是在这项功能磁共振成像（fMRI）研究中验证意义建构在压力事件和压力相关成长中的中介作用以及默认模式网络（DMN）在意义建构过程中的功能。参与者包括 59 名大学生。在基线时评估压力生活事件、意义建构和与压力相关的成长，然后在心理模拟引起的意义建构任务期间进行功能磁共振成像扫描。使用一般线性模型和心理生理学相互作用 (PPI) 分析来探索 DMN 在意义生成过程中的激活和功能连接。心理模拟触发了意义建构，DMN 活性在意义建构过程中下降。DMN 的激活与应对灵活性呈负相关，应对灵活性是压力相关成长的指标。PPI 分析表明，意义建构伴随着 DMN 中连通性的减弱。意义建构过程中 DMN 的激活可以调节积极的压力事件和应对灵活性之间的关系。在意义建构过程中，DMN 活动减少，DMN 功能连接减弱。在意义创造过程中 DMN 的激活可以调节积极的压力事件和压力相关的成长之间的关系，它为压力事件和压力相关成长指标之间关系中意义创造的中介作用提供了认知神经基础。这项研究支持了繁荣造就英雄的观点，扩展了意义创造模型，并建议将增强个人资源和意义创造纳入教育中。本研究首次利用功能磁共振成像任务状态检查来验证精神模拟引起的意义建构过程中DMN的激活模式和功能连接，这可以增强我们的意义感并提供可用于临床心理学干预的知识。该研究方案已在开放科学框架中预先注册（有关详细信息，请参阅 osf.io/ahm6e）。