A Longitudinal Network Analysis of Emotion Regulation, Interpersonal Problems, and Eating Disorder Psychopathology in Chinese Adolescents

ABSTRACT Objective The present longitudinal study examined sex‐specific, symptom‐level relationships among emotion regulation (ER), interpersonal problems (IP), and eating disorder (ED) psychopathology in a large sample of Chinese adolescents. Method Data were from a project with four waves of data collection ( N = 1540; 710 boys and 830 girls) at 6‐month intervals over 18 months. Questionnaires assessed ED psychopathology, ER, and IP at each wave of data collection. Longitudinal network analyses were conducted separately for boys and girls. Sex differences in the network structures were also examined. Results The results revealed pronounced heterogeneity in the presentation of ED psychopathology, ER, and IP across Chinese adolescent boys and girls longitudinally and intra‐individually. For example, weight/shape preoccupation in ED psychopathology and awareness in ER emerged as important nodes in the temporal network for boys. However, weight/shape preoccupation and dissatisfaction in ED psychopathology were identified as the most important nodes in the temporal network for girls. Regarding bridge strength, awareness in ER emerged as the node with the highest connectivity in the temporal network for boys. At the same time, weight/shape dissatisfaction in ED psychopathology was the node with the highest connectivity for girls. Discussion The current study extended network theory to better understand the longitudinal interplay among ER, IP, and ED psychopathology in Chinese adolescents and their sex differences in the importance of symptoms. Such insights may pave the way for developing targeted prevention and treatment strategies for adolescent boys and girls in China.