Network Analysis of Positive Youth Development

The Positive Youth Development (PYD) framework emphasizes that youth thrive in environments that align with their individual strengths and support healthy growth. From an ecological perspective, this study aimed to examine the relationships among prosocial behavior, social-emotional adjustment, academic competence, and ecological variables in PYD. Data were drawn from the 2022 National Survey of Children's Health, focusing on children and adolescents aged 6 to 17 years (N = 33,944). Network analysis identified the following central nodes: "staying calm when learning is hard," "avoiding bullying," "concerns about eating or body image," and "parent talks with child." The overall network structure remained stable across age groups.: The findings highlight academic resilience, positive peer interactions, dietary behaviors, and parent-child communication as core components of PYD, identifying these areas as promising targets for future research and intervention.