Dynamic Network Characteristics of Adolescent Mental Health Symptoms: Gender and Grade Differences Based on a...

This study used a Cross-Lagged Panel Network model to examine prospective longitudinal associations among dimensions of adolescent mental health and differences in these associations across gender and grade levels. A total of 3610 Chinese adolescents completed the Middle School Student Mental Health Scale at two time points, with an interval of approximately six months between assessments. In the overall network, interpersonal sensitivity had the strongest out-expected influence, indicating the strongest outgoing predictive associations with other mental health dimensions. Depression ranked second and showed a significant bidirectional prospective association with interpersonal sensitivity. Emotional instability had the strongest in-expected influence, suggesting that it was the dimension most strongly predicted by other domains. Subgroup analyses revealed that interpersonal sensitivity showed the strongest outgoing predictive associations in the male network, whereas depression played this role in the female network. In the junior high school network, depression showed the strongest outgoing predictive associations, whereas interpersonal sensitivity was the most central predictive domain in the senior high school network. These findings may inform gender- and grade-sensitive screening and monitoring strategies and provide preliminary evidence for future intervention research.