Understanding Depressive Symptomatology and the Associated Factors among Chinese Adolescents: A Network Approach

Adolescent depression is shaped by biological, psychological, and social factors. Traditional models often fail to capture complex interrelations among depressive symptoms. This study uses network analysis to identify Chinese adolescents' depressive symptoms and their key correlates. Data from a large sample of Chinese adolescents were analyzed using the EBICglasso method to construct a Gaussian graphical model, estimating partial correlations between depressive symptoms and 51 related factors. Centrality and bridge centrality analyses identified influential symptoms and connections. Robustness was assessed via bootstrapping, and symptom pathways via flow network analysis. Analyses revealed sadness, loneliness, and effort as the central symptoms, while the symptom anhedonia demonstrated low centrality among Chinese adolescents. Key correlates included academic pressure and health status, with the former closely linked to feelings of effort, and the latter to sleep disturbances and depressive mood. Parent-child interactions, particularly parental criticism, trust, and praise, showed strong associations with adolescents' depressive symptoms. This study highlights the centrality of sadness and the significant roles of academic pressure, health status, and parent-child interactions in shaping depressive symptoms among Chinese adolescents. The findings suggest that interventions targeting sadness, academic pressure and health-related concerns, and especially parent-child relationships, are promising strategies for reducing adolescent depression.