Network analysis of school connectedness and psychological crisis among university students

With the rising incidence of psychological crisis among university students, the research focus has gradually shifted from a symptom-based to a protective-factor perspective, in which school connectedness is considered a potential protective factor. This study aimed to examine the network structure linking school connectedness and psychological crisis among university students, thereby providing empirical evidence for understanding the associations between these constructs.

A total of 3,580 undergraduates from five universities in Henan Province, China, were surveyed using the School Connectedness Questionnaire and the Psychological Crisis Questionnaire. Network analysis was employed to reveal the associative patterns between the two constructs.

(i) The network structure of school connectedness and psychological crisis was stable, with relatively strong internal connections within each cluster. In the cross-cluster network, a covariation was observed between "I can rely on my classmates when facing difficulties" (PS1) and "People around me hold prejudices against me" (CD4). (ii) Centrality analysis revealed that "Feeling lonely and helpless, as if on the verge of emotional collapse" (EBD8) and "Feeling incapable of doing anything well" (CD7) exhibited the highest expected influence. (iii) Bridge centrality results showed that "I can rely on my classmates when facing difficulties" (PS1) and "My classmates share happiness and sorrow with me" (PS3) had the strongest connections to the psychological crisis network, whereas "Feeling lonely and helpless, as if on the verge of emotional collapse" (EBD8) and "Having pessimistic or suicidal thoughts" (CD1) had the strongest connections to the school connectedness network. (iv) The global connectivity strength invariance test indicated that the global strength of the female network was significantly higher than that of the male network.

This study employed psychological network analysis to systematically construct a school connectedness-psychological crisis network model among Chinese university students, revealing the complex associative structure between protective factors and crisis symptoms. Alleviating loneliness, correcting negative self-perceptions, and strengthening peer support may serve as three core targets for the prevention and intervention of psychological crisis among university students, potentially contributing to improved mental health and school adaptation.