Exploring the Associations between Sedentary Time, Social Support, Social Rejection and Psychological Distress: A Network Analysis in Students

Background: Amid the global rise in adolescent sedentary behavior and psychological distress, extant research has largely focused on variable-level associations, neglecting symptom-level interactions. This study applies network analysis, aims to delineate the interconnections among sedentary time, social support, social exclusion, and psychological distress in Chinese students, and to identify core and bridge symptoms to inform targeted interventions. Methods: This study employed a cross-sectional design to investigate the complex relationships among sedentary behavior, social support, social exclusion, and psychological distress among Chinese students. The research involved 459 high school and university students, using network analysis and mediation models to examine these relationships. Results: Network analysis revealed that the network had a density of 58.33% and an average edge weight of 0.11. In terms of centrality, stress had the highest expected influence (EI = 1.135), acting as the core amplifier in the network. Sedentary behavior demonstrated the highest bridging expected influence, functioning as a critical bridge for cross-community transmission. Conversely, friend support showed the lowest bridging EI with a negative value, indicating its effectiveness in blocking cross-community diffusion and alleviating symptoms. Conclusion: With stress acting as the most influential “core engine” within the symptom network and sedentary behavior serving as the key “bridge” for cross-community transmission, interventions should first target stress to weaken the overall symptom cascade, followed by reducing sedentary behavior or enhancing friend support to disrupt cross-community pathways, thereby achieving a core-bridge dual blockade.