Symptom-level associations between childhood trauma and academic defeat: A network analysis of 11,031 Chinese adolescents

Abstract

Background Academic defeat represents a critical construct associated with mental health outcomes in East Asian societies with high-stakes competition. However, conventional models obscure symptom-level mechanisms linking childhood trauma to this sense of failure. This study investigated the topological architecture connecting childhood trauma to academic defeat and identified specific bridge pathways. Methods This cross-sectional study included 11,031 adolescents recruited via multi-stage stratified cluster sampling in Shandong Province, China. The Childhood Trauma Questionnaire-Short Form and a culturally adapted Defeat Scale were used to assess trauma experiences and academic defeat, respectively. A regularized partial correlation network was estimated via a Gaussian graphical model to map symptom associations. Bridge centrality indices were calculated to identify nodes connecting the constructs, and the Network Comparison Test was used to evaluate structural and expected influence invariance across genders and school types. Results The self-perceived symptom of “Learning failure” exhibited the highest expected influence within the network. “Emotional abuse” functioned as the primary bridge connecting trauma to academic defeat, specifically linking to “Powerless”. “Emotional neglect” served as a robust secondary bridge, strongly associated with “Successful person” and “Basically a winner”. Furthermore, significant structural differences existed between male and female networks, specifically regarding the pathway between “Powerless” and “Emotional abuse”. Conclusions The present study delineates the complex relationship between childhood trauma and academic defeat. Future efforts should focus on targeted interventions that address these identified bridge and central symptoms to effectively disrupt the mechanisms underlying this sense of failure.

The authors' abstract, as published at the source. Child Abuse & Neglect, 2026 · DOI ↗