Birds of a feather feel alike: peer psychological distress similarity in large-scale adolescent social networks

Peer similarity has long been a central concern in research on social networks and adolescent development. Prior studies have largely focused on similarity in maladaptive peer behaviors, often restricting analysis to a single type of peer relationship and relying on partial network or nomination-based data in adolescent populations. This study examines the presence of peer similarity in psychological distress using whole school social network data from three secondary schools in western China ( N = 5161), encompassing five types of peer networks including friend, assistance, confidant, recreational, and academic-support networks. Employing network-appropriate analytical methods QAP and MRQAP, we report the significant similarity in psychological distress across all five network types, with the strongest pattern observed within academic support networks, reflecting the cultural emphasis on academic achievement in the Chinese educational context. In addition, we apply PSM as to estimate associations at the individual level, and the estimated average treatment effects indicate that adolescents embedded in peer contexts characterized by higher levels of psychological distress exhibit significantly higher distress themselves compared to those exposed to lower peer distress. Adopting a social network perspective, our findings demonstrate that adolescents’ psychological distress clusters within school-based peer networks. These results suggest that schools should be conceptualized as key intervention fields and that peer relationships constitute important units for the design and implementation of mental health interventions.