Individual-Level and Group-Level Peer Support and Adolescent Internalizing Problems: Based on Social Network Analysis

Wang Lingfei; Zhang Hang; Bian Yufang

doi:10.16719/j.cnki.1671-6981.20260111

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Journal of Psychological Science ›› 2026, Vol. 49 ›› Issue (1) : 105-120. DOI: 10.16719/j.cnki.1671-6981.20260111

Developmental & Educational Psychology

Individual-Level and Group-Level Peer Support and Adolescent Internalizing Problems: Based on Social Network Analysis

Wang Lingfei^1,2, Zhang Hang³, Bian Yufang^3,4,5

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Abstract

Internalizing problems, such as depression, anxiety, and loneliness, refer to disturbances in emotion or mood. These problems can have a detrimental impact on adolescent adaptation and may even lead to severe outcomes in adulthood. These internalizing problems are of particular concern during adolescence, a period characterized by intense physical and mental changes that can exacerbate them. Therefore, it is necessary to explore the factors influencing internalizing problems to develop effective interventions to reduce their prevalence. Since adolescents often interact with their peers in the classroom, peer support plays a pivotal role in alleviating internalizing problems. While previous studies have investigated the effects of perceived peer support on internalizing problems, there is a lack of research examining the influence of peer support on internalizing problems at both group and individual levels. To explore peer support at the group and individual levels, this study employed Social Network Analysis (SNA) to construct peer support networks including all students in a classroom and all their peer support relationships. Additionally, the Hierarchical Linear Model (HLM) was utilized to examine the impact of both group-level and individual-level peer support, as well as the interaction between these two levels, on adolescents' internalizing problems.
In this study, 4,056 second-year junior high school students from 121 classrooms completed the questionnaire. The peer support network within each classroom was established by having students nominate peers from whom they sought help. Internalizing problems were assessed using the Children's Manifest Anxiety Scale, the Children's Depression Inventory, and the Children's Loneliness Scale. R packages were utilized to calculate metrics for the peer support network, including indicators for individual-level support (e.g., the number of support-seeking relationships and the number of relationships in which one's support was sought) and group-level support (including density and hierarchy). Multilevel data analysis was conducted using HLM 6.0 software.
The results indicated the following: (1) In terms of individual-level peer support, a negative correlation was found between the number of support-seeking relationships and all three types of internalizing problems, specifically loneliness (β = -.066, p < .001), anxiety (β = -.012, p < .001), and depression (β = -.031, p <.001). Additionally, the number of relationships in which one's support was sought was significantly linked to reduced levels of loneliness (β = -.041, p < .001) and depression (β = -.017, p < .001). (2) Regarding group-level peer support, only the relation between peer support and loneliness was examined among the three types of internalizing problems, as loneliness exhibited significant variation across classrooms (i.e., ICC loneliness = .120 > .050). Specifically, the density of the peer support network was negatively associated with loneliness among students in the classroom (β = -3.575, p < .01). (3) The interaction between individual-level and group-level peer support revealed that the density of the network and the hierarchy of support-seeking relationships moderated the relationship between the number of support-seeking relationships and loneliness (β = .692, p <.01; β = -.038, p < .05).
In conclusion, at the individual level, adolescents who had more support-seeking relationships experienced lower levels of internalizing problems, and those who had more relationships in which the support was sought also reported lower levels of internalizing problems except for anxiety. At the group level, students in classrooms with higher network density experienced lower loneliness compared to their counterparts. Furthermore, results for the interaction effect partly support the person-culture match theory. Specifically, when compared with their counterparts in high-hierarchy classrooms, students who had more support-seeking relationships in low-hierarchy classrooms tended to experience less loneliness. Conversely, when compared with their counterparts in low-hierarchy classrooms, students who had less support-seeking relationships in high-hierarchy classrooms tended to experience less loneliness. Moreover, compared with counterparts in low-density classrooms, students who had more support-seeking relationships in high-density classrooms tended to report less loneliness. However, students who had fewer support-seeking relationships in high-density classrooms still reported less loneliness than their counterparts in low-density classrooms. Through SNA and multi-level analyses, this study has advanced our understanding of the peer influence on adolescents' internalizing problems. The theoretical and practical implications for reducing adolescents' internalizing problems were also discussed.

Key words

internalizing problems / adolescents / peer support / multilevel analysis / social network analysis

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Wang Lingfei, Zhang Hang, Bian Yufang. Individual-Level and Group-Level Peer Support and Adolescent Internalizing Problems: Based on Social Network Analysis[J]. Journal of Psychological Science. 2026, 49(1): 105-120 https://doi.org/10.16719/j.cnki.1671-6981.20260111

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