Network analysis of chronotype, psychological pain, and experiential avoidance in young adults

This study applies symptom-level network analysis to investigate how chronotype relates to emotional vulnerability in emerging adults. Using data from 1030 university students in Turkey (ages 18-25), it examined links among chronotype, experiential avoidance (EA), psychological pain, depression, and anxiety, paying special attention to overlooked EA subcomponents. Participants completed a battery of assessments including the Morningness-Eveningness Questionnaire (MEQ), the Mee-Bunney Psychological Pain Assessment Scale (MBPPAS), the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), and the Brief Multidimensional Experiential Avoidance Questionnaire (MEAQ-30), alongside a sociodemographic form. The results showed that eveningness was not a central network node but was associated with increased psychological pain, depressive and anxiety symptoms, and specific avoidance behaviors, notably procrastination and distraction - suppression. Distress aversion emerged as the most central symptom, highlighting emotion regulation difficulties as a key driver of affective vulnerability. The gender-stratified analyses showed a greater centrality of EA components, especially distress aversion, in females, consistent with known gender differences in emotion regulation. No significant gender differences were found in overall network connectivity. These findings support a transdiagnostic view of mental health risk in young adults, identifying distress aversion and psychological pain as potential intervention targets. Eveningness appears to function as a contextual, not causal, factor in affective symptomatology. The findings underscore the utility of network analysis and the importance of developmentally and gender-informed approaches.