Network characteristics of the youth’s insomnia and emotional symptoms and their gender differences

作者：Chang Liu, Lie Zhou, Xin Pi, Bo Liu, Xinfeng Zhang, Wenyan Wei, Shulun Nie · 发表于：Frontiers in Psychiatry · 年份：2025 · DOI：10.3389/fpsyt.2025.1597652 · 被引用次数：6 · 研究领域：Mental Health Research Topics、Health, Environment, Cognitive Aging、Sleep and related disorders

Objective: To explore the association between sleep disorders and symptoms of depression and anxiety in the youth and to analyze the influence of gender factors. Methods: Using the Mental Health Status Survey Questionnaire for Adolescent Students compiled by Professor Maosheng Ran, a survey was conducted and 7247 valid responses were collected (valid response rate of 79.11%). Integrating the Insomnia Severity Index(ISI), Patient Health Questionnaire(PHQ-9), and Generalized Anxiety Disorder Scale(GAD-7), network analysis was employed to assess the network structure, symptom associations, and gender differences related to insomnia, depression, and anxiety among youth. Results: In the network of insomnia, depression, and anxiety symptoms among youth, the highest strength centrality values were observed for "excessive worry," "fatigue," "sleep dissatisfaction," and "distress caused by sleep difficulties." Five bridge symptoms were identified: "fatigue," "nervousness," "suicidal ideation," "motor," and "guilt." Significant differences in network structures existed between genders, specifically in network invariance (M = 0.909, p = 0.025) and global strength (males = 75.155, females = 70.527; S = 4.628, p = 0.041). Additionally, males showed significantly higher bridge strength in "anhedonia" than females (p = 0.044). Conclusions: This study revealed that insomnia, anxiety, and depression symptoms among youth are closely interconnected. Core symptoms such as "excessive worry" and "...