Abstract
Background: Military personnel are at high risk for mental health disorders, and empathy—especially emotional empathy—has been increasingly recognized as a potential contributor. However, few studies have explored the symptom-level associations between empathy and mental health in military populations. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between different components of empathy and symptoms of depression, anxiety, and somatization in Chinese military personnel using network analysis.
Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted in December 2024 among 1,694 male military personnel (mean age = 23.91 years). Standardized instruments were used to assess empathy (Interpersonal Reactivity Index, IRI), depression (Patient Health Questionnaire-9, PHQ-9), anxiety (Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7, GAD-7), and somatization (Patient Health Questionnaire-15, PHQ-15). Gaussian Graphical Models were estimated using EBICglasso regularization. Node centrality and bridge symptoms were calculated to identify key symptom interconnections.
Results: Network analysis revealed that emotional empathy, particularly personal distress, was consistently associated with symptoms across all three domains. Core symptoms identified were "feeling tired" (depression), "restlessness" (anxiety), and "palpitations" (somatization). Personal distress (E4) was a central bridge symptom linking empathy to mental health across networks, indicating its pivotal role in psychological vulnerability.
Conclusions: Emotional empathy may exacerbate mental health symptoms among military personnel, with personal distress acting as a key driver. Tailored interventions targeting emotional regulation and empathy-related distress may help reduce psychological burden in this population.