Exploring the associations among physical activity, social adaptation, and emotional intelligence in adolescents: a network analysis study

Emotional intelligence is a crucial ability in adolescent development, with physical activity and social adaptation recognized as significant protective factors. Employing a network analysis approach, this study aimed to investigate the interrelationships among physical activity, social adaptation, and emotional intelligence in adolescents. A total of 616 adolescents completed the International Physical Activity Questionnaire-Short Form, the Emotional Intelligence Scale, and the Social Adaptation Scale. Network analysis was utilized to visualize and analyze the patterns of association among the variables. The network analysis revealed that the connections among variables within the same constructs were stronger than those across different constructs. The three strongest cross-construct associations identified in our study were “physical self-perception” and “high-intensity physical activity,” “physical self-perception” and “self-emotion regulation,” and “physical self-perception” and “emotion utilization.” Physical activity, social adaptation, and emotional intelligence formed a modular network. “Emotion utilization” emerged as the node with the highest strength and expected influence. “Physical self-perception” served as a key bridge between the physical activity and emotional intelligence modules, demonstrating the highest bridge expected influence. Physical activity, social adaptation, and emotional intelligence in adolescents form a dynamic network of associations, in which high-intensity physical activity and physical self-perception are core nodes. Furthermore, physical self-perception is identified as a pivotal bridging node between the physical activity and emotional intelligence systems. This study provides clear structural targets for mental health interventions in adolescents. In contexts where direct training of emotional intelligence is challenging, “enhancing physical self-perception” can be prioritized as an indirect intervention point. By leveraging its bridging position within the network, this approach can structurally link the physical activity and emotional intelligence subsystems, thereby facilitating the synergistic optimization of the entire protective network.