Abstract
<title>Abstract</title> <p>The school adjustment and mental health of college students have increasingly become prominent issues of concern in higher education, particularly among first-year students as they navigate the sensitive transition period. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to draw on the Social Support Theory and Conservation of Resources Theory to systematically examine the effects of perceived teacher support, peer support, and AI support on college students’ school adjustment and mental health, as well as the mediating role played by school adjustment. A total of 1,170 first-year college students from mainland China participated in the study, and the data was analysed using structural equation modelling. According to the results, (1) perceived teacher support, peer support, and AI support all positively predicted school adjustment; (2) perceived teacher support, peer support, and AI support all positively predicted mental health; (3) school adjustment positively predicted mental health; and (4) school adjustment mediated the relationships between perceived teacher support, peer support, and AI support and mental health. These findings explain the means by which teacher support, peer support, and AI support facilitate school adjustment, and provide empirical evidence to enable educators and policymakers to develop human-machine collaborative support systems that promote first-year college students' school adjustment and mental health.</p>