ArticleBMC public health2024
Gender differences in the mental symptom network of high school students in Shanghai, China: a network analysis.
Article in BMC public health, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 19 papers.
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Who cites it
19 citing papers in PubMed.
- Bidirectional relationship between somatic pain and depression in Chinese adolescents: a cross-lagged study.BMC public health · 2026Article
- Knock down the first domino: in silico intervention for age-tailored prevention and treatment targets in adolescent mental health.European child & adolescent psychiatry · 2026Article
- A population-based cross-lagged panel network analysis of multidimensional mental health symptoms among Chinese secondary school students.BMC public health · 2026Article
- Cross-Lagged Panel Network Analysis Between Internet Addiction and Depression: Gender and Mid-Late Adolescent Differences.Child psychiatry and human development · 2026Article
- Network analysis of suicidal tendency and mental health symptoms in college students: a gender-differences comparison.BMC psychology · 2026Article
- Exploring Gender Differences in Adolescent Psychiatric Disorders: A Decade of Research.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Review
- Sex- specific interplay of combined lifestyle patterns and their association with depressive symptoms among Chinese adolescents: a school-based cross-sectional study.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2026Article
- Network analysis of comorbid internet addiction, anxiety, and depression symptoms among Chinese junior high school students.Frontiers in public health · 2026Article
- Teacher-student perceptual mismatch in positive co-experiences is associated with adolescent depression, bullying victimization, and suicidality.Frontiers in public health · 2026Article
- The influence of harsh parenting on adolescents' bullying: the moderating role of perceived class climate and gender.Frontiers in psychology · 2026Article
- Gendered networks of psychological adaptation under prolonged war.Frontiers in public health · 2026Article
- Entropy-based risk network identification in adolescent self-injurious behavior using machine learning and network analysis.Translational psychiatry · 2025Article
- A cross-lagged network analysis of multisystemic factors influencing adolescent depressive symptoms: considering gender differences.Child and adolescent psychiatry and mental health · 2025Article
- A network analysis of the depression and anxiety comorbidity: a nationwide survey among Chinese adolescents during the normalization phase of COVID-19 pandemic prevention and control.BMC psychiatry · 2025Article
- The component-to-trait relationship between intolerance of uncertainty and obsessive-compulsive personality traits: a network analysis.BMC psychiatry · 2025Article
- Gender differences in the network of suicidal ideation, interpersonal needs and depressive symptoms among Chinese college students.Scientific reports · 2025Article
- Network characteristics of emotional resilience, anxiety, and depression among Chinese adolescents and their gender differences.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2025Article
- Academic Pressure and Psychological Imbalance in High School Students: Predictors of Depression via Polynomial Regression and Response Surface Analysis.Psychology research and behavior management · 2025Article
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Abstract
backgroundAdolescence is a critical period for the onset of mental health issues. In China, high school students face significant academic and social pressures, leading to high rates of mental health challenges. Gender differences in the manifestation of these symptoms have been observed, with boys and girls exhibiting distinct psychological profiles.
objectiveThis study aims to explore the structure of psychological symptoms among Chinese high school students using network analysis, focusing on identifying core symptoms and gender differences in symptom networks. The key objectives are to: 1) identify the central psychological symptoms for boys and girls, and 2) uncover the interactions between symptoms to inform targeted interventions.
methodsA cluster sampling method was used to recruit 3,769 high school students (2,206 males and 1,563 females) in Shanghai. The Middle School Students Mental Health Scale (MSSMHS) was administered, and network analysis was conducted using the R packages bootnet and qgraph to assess symptom network edges, centrality, and network strength. Comparisons between male and female networks were made.
resultsNetwork analysis showed tightly connected symptom networks for both genders, with 43 non-zero edges for boys (sparsity 0.04) and 39 for girls (sparsity 0.13). Depression was the core symptom for boys (centrality 1.20), while anxiety was central for girls (centrality 1.46). Boys showed a stronger link between interpersonal sensitivity and depression (edge value 0.20), while girls exhibited a stronger connection between anxiety and obsessive-compulsive symptoms (edge value 0.16). Network comparison tests revealed no significant differences in overall network strength between boys (4.625) and girls (4.660), with P-values greater than 0.05 across all comparisons.
conclusionThis study highlights significant gender differences in the psychological symptom networks of Chinese high school students. Depression and anxiety emerged as core symptoms for boys and girls, respectively. These findings provide a foundation for developing gender-sensitive mental health interventions, emphasizing the need for tailored approaches based on gender-specific symptom profiles.
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