The network structure of positive youth development attributes among Chinese rural adolescents

Abstract

Using psychological network analysis (PNA), this study explored the network structure of positive youth development (PYD) attributes of adolescents in rural China. A sample of 2,702 Chinese adolescents (47.7% girls, Mage = 14.72 year-old) participated in this study and completed the Chinese Positive Youth Development Scale (CPYDS). The study generated three major findings. First, most attributes of PYD were closely inter-related and formed a network structure of PYD. Second, cognitive competence, belief in the future, prosocial involvement, and self-determination were the central attributes, indicating that the four attributes stood out as the primary predictors of other attributes in the network. Third, resilience was an important central attribute in the PYD network of left-behind adolescents. The findings provide empirical support for the network structure of PYD attributes, offering new insights for future PYD interventions and research.