Research on the Influence of College Students' Mental Health on Their Social Network Structure

In recent years, the mental health of college students has been the focus of educators. There is no large-scale sample to analyze the impact of students' mental health on their social behavior. By analyzing 4 955 anonymous students' card swiping and psychological evaluation data of a university, we construct a social network among students based on their meal card swiping data. Furthermore, based on the data of SCL-90 evaluation scale, we evaluate the depression of students. Through analysis, we find that the degree of depression of students dramatically affects their social network structure. Students without obvious depression share meals with more students (speculating higher social activity), and students with obvious depression prefer to share meals with fewer students (inferring lower social activity).