Network analysis of negative life events, resilience, and emotional problems in junior high school freshmen

First-year junior high school students face heightened emotional risks due to the transition to a new academic environment, yet the complex interplay between negative life events, psychological resilience, and emotional symptoms (anxiety and depression) remains poorly understood as a systemic network. This study aims to investigate the core and bridge nodes within a “stress-resilience-emotion” network and to compare network structures between high- and low-resilience adolescents. A cross-sectional survey was conducted among 985 first-year junior high school students (mean age = 13.14). Assessments included the Adolescent Self-Rating Life Events Checklist, Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale, Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7-item scale, and Patient Health Questionnaire-9. A regularized partial-correlation network was estimated using the graphical LASSO algorithm. Centrality indices and bridge expected influence were calculated to identify core and bridging components. Network structure and global strength were compared between median-split high- and low-resilience subgroups using the Network Comparison Test. Interpersonal relationships emerged as the most central node in network. Depression and anxiety were the strongest bridge nodes, with health adaptation and academic pressure identified as key risk-related nodes to internalizing symptoms. Resilience dimensions formed a protective cluster with negative bridge influence on emotional symptoms. A significant difference in overall network structure was observed between high- and low-resilience groups. Interpersonal relationships, academic pressure, and health adaptation represent critical targets for further investigation in this transitional population. Psychological resilience does not exhibit strong direct negative edges with emotional symptoms, but operates as a cohesive internal cluster that exhibits negative cross-community correlations with emotional symptoms. These findings suggest school-based programs enhancing adaptation to academic and peer contexts may potentially buffer emotional problems, though longitudinal confirmation is required.