Abstract
Background Depression, increasingly recognized as a critical factor impacting mental health, notably affects various populations, including teachers. This study aimed to delineate the specific characteristics of depressive symptom networks among Chinese teachers, identify the core symptoms of depression within this demographic, and examine the variations in depressive symptom networks across different genders and teaching stages.Method The study encompassed 1,670 teachers. Depressive symptoms were assessed using the Self-Rating Depression Scale (SDS). Central symptoms were identified through centrality indices. Network stability was examined via a case-dropping procedure.Results “Depressed affect” and “emptiness of life” exhibited the highest centrality values in the network. No significant differences were observed in the network structure and global strength of depression between adolescents of different genders. However, significant differences in the network"s global strength were found between junior and senior high school teachers.Conclusion “Depressed affect” and “emptiness of life” emerged as the most noteworthy depressive symptoms among teachers in China. Paying close attention to these symptoms could potentially alleviate the experiences of depression in this demographic.