IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jijerp/v18y2021i21p11164-d663579.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Being Popular or Having Popular Friends, Which Is Better? A Longitudinal Social Network Analysis of Depressive Symptoms among Chinese Adolescents under Major Chronic Stress

Author

Listed:
  • Lin Fu

    (Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, Beijing University of Technology, Beijing 100124, China)

  • Yue Fan

    (CAS Key Laboratory of Mental Health, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
    Department of Psychology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China)

  • Jin Cheng

    (Beijing Institute of Education, Beijing 100097, China)

  • Hao Zheng

    (Department of Psychology, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 2E9, Canada)

  • Zhengkui Liu

    (CAS Key Laboratory of Mental Health, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China)

Abstract

Background: Previous studies have found that adolescents’ depressive symptoms are influenced by social networks in a stressful context, especially focusing on the processes of social selection and social influence. The current study aimed to explore the coevolution of sociometric popularity and depressive symptoms among adolescents suffering from the stress attached to the Chinese gaokao . Methods: The analytical sample comprised 1062 Chinese adolescents who were under significant pressure to return to school for an additional year (returnees) to prepare for college entrance examinations. Students were assessed for depressive symptoms and asked to nominate up to five friends within their classes across four waves (six months). We employed stochastic actor-oriented models to investigate the interdependent relationships between popularity and depressive symptoms. Results: Adolescents’ depressive symptoms negatively predicted future friendship popularity in this stressful situation, but not vice versa. The results of this study also highlighted the importance of friends’ popularity, indicating that adolescents who nominated popular peers as friends tended to subsequently have lower depressive symptoms. Conclusion: These findings suggested that friends’ popularity may serve as a protective factor against depressive symptoms under major chronic stress. Network-based interventions may have practical implications for reducing depressive symptoms under major chronic stress.

Suggested Citation

  • Lin Fu & Yue Fan & Jin Cheng & Hao Zheng & Zhengkui Liu, 2021. "Being Popular or Having Popular Friends, Which Is Better? A Longitudinal Social Network Analysis of Depressive Symptoms among Chinese Adolescents under Major Chronic Stress," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(21), pages 1-14, October.
  • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:18:y:2021:i:21:p:11164-:d:663579
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/18/21/11164/pdf
    Download Restriction: no

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/18/21/11164/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Fujimoto, Kayo & Valente, Thomas W., 2015. "Multiplex congruity: Friendship networks and perceived popularity as correlates of adolescent alcohol use," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 125(C), pages 173-181.
    2. Lien, Yin-Ju & Hu, Jhih-Ning & Chen, Chia-Yi, 2016. "The influences of perceived social support and personality on trajectories of subsequent depressive symptoms in Taiwanese youth," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 153(C), pages 148-155.
    3. Pachucki, Mark C. & Ozer, Emily J. & Barrat, Alain & Cattuto, Ciro, 2015. "Mental health and social networks in early adolescence: A dynamic study of objectively-measured social interaction behaviors," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 125(C), pages 40-50.
    4. Li, Xiaoyu & Kawachi, Ichiro & Buxton, Orfeu M. & Haneuse, Sebastien & Onnela, Jukka-Pekka, 2019. "Social network analysis of group position, popularity, and sleep behaviors among U.S. adolescents," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 232(C), pages 417-426.
    5. Bearman, P.S. & Moody, J., 2004. "Suicide and Friendships among American Adolescents," American Journal of Public Health, American Public Health Association, vol. 94(1), pages 89-95.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Dongliang Yang & Shuxian Hu & Mingna Li, 2022. "The Influence of Family Socioeconomic Status on Adolescents’ Mental Health in China," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(13), pages 1-16, June.
    2. Fu, Lin & Zhou, Yueyue & Zheng, Hao & Cheng, Jin & Fan, Yue & Eli, Buzohre & Liu, Zhengkui, 2024. "Effectiveness of a brief social network intervention for depressive symptoms among Chinese adolescents under major chronic stress," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 156(C).

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Goldberg, Amir & Srivastava, Sameer B & Manian, Govind & Monroe, William & Potts, Christopher, 2016. "Fitting In or Standing Out? The Tradeoffs of Structural and Cultural Embeddedness," Institute for Research on Labor and Employment, Working Paper Series qt9bf631rg, Institute of Industrial Relations, UC Berkeley.
    2. Ana Balsa & Carlos Díaz, 2018. "Social interactions in health behaviors and conditions," Documentos de Trabajo/Working Papers 1802, Facultad de Ciencias Empresariales y Economia. Universidad de Montevideo..
    3. Carayol, Nicolas & Bergé, Laurent & Cassi, Lorenzo & Roux, Pascale, 2019. "Unintended triadic closure in social networks: The strategic formation of research collaborations between French inventors," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 163(C), pages 218-238.
    4. Karen Benjamin Guzzo & Sarah R. Hayford & Vanessa Wanner Lang, 2019. "Adolescent Fertility Attitudes and Childbearing in Early Adulthood," Population Research and Policy Review, Springer;Southern Demographic Association (SDA), vol. 38(1), pages 125-152, February.
    5. Wong, Joy P.S. & Stewart, Sunita M. & Ho, S.Y. & Rao, Uma & Lam, T.H., 2005. "Exposure to suicide and suicidal behaviors among Hong Kong adolescents," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 61(3), pages 591-599, August.
    6. Chen, Chia-Yi & Lien, Yin-Ju, 2018. "Trajectories of co-occurrence of depressive symptoms and deviant behaviors: The influences of perceived social support and personal characteristics," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 95(C), pages 174-182.
    7. Harel-Fisch, Yossi & Abdeen, Ziad & Walsh, Sophie D. & Radwan, Qasrowi & Fogel-Grinvald, Haya, 2012. "Multiple risk behaviors and suicidal ideation and behavior among Israeli and Palestinian adolescents," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 75(1), pages 98-108.
    8. Mobasseri, Sanaz & Stein, Daniel H. & Carney, Dana R., 2022. "The accurate judgment of social network characteristics in the lab and field using thin slices of the behavioral stream," Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, Elsevier, vol. 168(C).
    9. Perkins, Jessica M. & Subramanian, S.V. & Christakis, Nicholas A., 2015. "Social networks and health: A systematic review of sociocentric network studies in low- and middle-income countries," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 125(C), pages 60-78.
    10. Min-Ah Lee, 2016. "Social relationships, depressive symptoms and suicidality in Korea: Examining mediating and moderating effects in men and women," International Journal of Social Psychiatry, , vol. 62(1), pages 67-75, February.
    11. Giulietti, Corrado & Vlassopoulos, Michael & Zenou, Yves, 2022. "Peers, gender, and long-term depression," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 144(C).
    12. Fu, Lin & Zhou, Yueyue & Zheng, Hao & Cheng, Jin & Fan, Yue & Eli, Buzohre & Liu, Zhengkui, 2024. "Effectiveness of a brief social network intervention for depressive symptoms among Chinese adolescents under major chronic stress," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 156(C).
    13. Takagi, Daisuke & Yokouchi, Nobutada & Hashimoto, Hideki, 2020. "Smoking behavior prevalence in one's personal social network and peer's popularity: A population-based study of middle-aged adults in Japan," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 260(C).
    14. McMillan, Cassie & Schaefer, David R., 2021. "Comparing targeting strategies for network-based adolescent drinking interventions: A simulation approach," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 282(C).
    15. Müller, Nathalie & Fallucchi, Francesco & Suhrcke, Marc, 2024. "Peer effects in weight-related behaviours of young people: A systematic literature review," Economics & Human Biology, Elsevier, vol. 53(C).
    16. Gökmen Arslan & Kelly-Ann Allen & Tracii Ryan, 2020. "Exploring the Impacts of School Belonging on Youth Wellbeing and Mental Health among Turkish Adolescents," Child Indicators Research, Springer;The International Society of Child Indicators (ISCI), vol. 13(5), pages 1619-1635, October.
    17. María Cristina Martínez-Fernández & Cristina Liébana-Presa & Elena Fernández-Martínez & Lisa Gomes & Isaías García-Rodríguez, 2021. "Friendship and Consumption Networks in Adolescents and Their Relationship to Stress and Cannabis Use Intention," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(7), pages 1-11, March.
    18. Javier Gil-Quintana & Sonia Santoveña-Casal & Efrén Romero Riaño, 2021. "Realfooders Influencers on Instagram: From Followers to Consumers," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(4), pages 1-16, February.
    19. Juri Yamazaki & Masashi Kizuki & Takeo Fujiwara, 2022. "Association between Frequency of Conversations and Suicidal Ideation among Medical Students during COVID-19 Pandemic in Japan," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(11), pages 1-9, May.
    20. Naoki Masuda & Issei Kurahashi & Hiroko Onari, 2013. "Suicide Ideation of Individuals in Online Social Networks," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 8(4), pages 1-8, April.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:18:y:2021:i:21:p:11164-:d:663579. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.