Early warning mechanism for college student adaptation: a network analysis and computational intervention simulation study based on mind wandering and problematic short video use

TL;DR

This study identifies key symptoms of mind wandering that predict problematic short video use in college freshmen, offering early warning signals for academic adaptation challenges.

Contribution

The study introduces a network-based early warning mechanism and computational intervention simulations for addressing college student adaptation issues.

Findings

Mind wandering during lectures (MW5) is a key bridge symptom connecting mind wandering and problematic short video use.

Targeting MW5 through intervention most effectively reduces problematic short video use severity.

Two distinct but interconnected symptom communities were identified in the network analysis.

Abstract

The adaptation challenges of college freshmen represent a core issue in higher education psychology research. With the rapid development of digital media, this study aims to examine the complex interactions between mind wandering and problematic short video use during the critical period of academic adaptation from a cognitive control perspective.

A total of 1,989 Chinese college freshmen (M = 18.3, SD = 0.6) participated in this cross-sectional study. An Ising model network was constructed to estimate the conditional dependency relationships between specific symptoms of mind wandering and problematic short video use. Subsequently, the NodeIdentifyR algorithm (NIRA) was applied to conduct computational intervention simulations to identify the most effective intervention targets within the network.

The network analysis identified two distinct but interconnected symptom communities. Mind wandering during lectures (MW5), inability to pay full attention when doing things (MW3), and difficulty maintaining focus on simple or repetitive tasks (MW1) were identified as key bridge symptoms connecting the two sub-networks. Furthermore, computational simulation results indicated that an alleviating intervention targeting MW5 (reducing its activation level) most effectively decreased the overall severity of problematic short video use.

These findings reveal early warning signals of academic adaptation difficulties among college freshmen. By highlighting the pivotal role of specific attention deficits-particularly mind wandering during lectures-this study provides new insights and empirical evidence for designing precise, prevention-oriented interventions in college student mental health education and digital health support.

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