Anxious Networks: Peer Contagion and Relational Dynamics of Anxiety in Law School

• In Event: Social Connections and Health

Abstract

Prior research on emotional contagion in social networks has largely focused on depression, paying short shrift to other motivational states, such as stress and anxiety, which are common in student populations. Moreover, the contexts under examination have been limited to digital interactions, the workplace, and secondary schools. This study addresses these gaps by examining whether and how anxiety spreads through law students’ peer networks and what role relational dynamics play in its intensification. Drawing on longitudinal survey and network data (N=500) from first-year students across three law schools, which vary in terms of status and ranking, we employed the Stochastic Actor-Oriented Model (SAOM). Results indicate that peer networks affect law students’ anxiety over time in the middle- and unranked schools, providing evidence of anxiety contagion through ties. No such pattern emerged in the top-ranked school, where baseline anxiety levels were lower and stable across waves. Anxiety alone did not predict network formation. Nonetheless, women, who reported higher average anxiety than men, were more likely to form gender homophilous ties in all schools. This study contributes to two bodies of literature. First, it extends emotional contagion research beyond its predominant focus on digital and secondary school contexts, offering insights into higher education. Second, it adds a relational dimension to research on law student mental health, demonstrating that anxiety is shaped not only by institutional demands of competition and performance pressure but also by the ties among those subjected to such demands.

Authors

• Seo-Yeon Lim, UMass Amherst

• Anthony Paik, University of Massachusetts-Amherst