Negative emotions among Chinese primary and middle school students and association with screen time: A network analysis

Abstract

Background

Psychological health is crucial for the physical and mental well-being of primary and secondary school students, however, the research on the interrelationships among negative emotions is still limited. This study aims to investigate the network structure of depression, anxiety, and stress, and explore their correlation with screen time in these populations.

Method

This study was conducted from March to July 2022 in 157 counties across 18 cities in Henan Province. The Depression Anxiety Stress Scale (DASS-21) was used to assess the negative emotions experienced by students. Firstly, “Expected Influence” and “Bridge Expected Influence” were considered as key indicators within the symptom network to depict the structure of depressive, anxiety and stress symptoms. Secondly. a case-dropping bootstrap procedure was applied to assess the stability of the network. Finally, this study identified the central and bridge symptoms in the network, and explored their relationships with screen time.

Results

The study included 52,782 students with an average age of 11.23±2.56 years. Network analysis showed that feelings of worthlessness, panic, and agitation are the predominant symptoms in the negative emotional networks. Depression, anxiety, and stress were interconnected through feelings of low mood, overreaction, and trembling. Additionally, lack of initiative and dry mouth exhibited the most significant direct associations with screen time.

Conclusion

The central and bridge symptoms identified in the negative emotion networks can serve as potential focal points for future research on negative emotions among primary and secondary school students.