<p>Social-emotional skills have been widely recognized as important protective factors for mental health. However, the dynamic and reciprocal relationships between social-emotional skills and mental health indicators remain insufficiently understood. Guided by the dual-factor model of mental health, this study operationalized mental health using four indicators: social anxiety, anxiety, depression, and subjective well-being, and applies a longitudinal network analysis to systematically investigate the dynamic associations between social-emotional skills and mental health. Using three-wave follow-up data from 1,077 students at a vocational college, the study found: (1) Social-emotional skills showed significant predictive associations with mental health, with social participation skills most notably negatively predicting social anxiety and positively predicting subjective well-being. (2) Negative indicators of mental health (anxiety and depression) could inhibit the development of social and emotional skills. (3) The centrality of social-emotional skills showed temporal variation. Social Engagement Skills emerged as the most influential node in the T1→T2 network, whereas Self-Management Skills showed the highest expected influence in the T2→T3 network. Emotional Resilience Skills also increasingly occupied a prominent receptive position within the network. The findings not only deepen the understanding of the key role of social-emotional skills in the interactive mechanism of mental health, but also provide stage-specific, systematic intervention suggestions for higher education institutions in implementing social-emotional education.</p>