The analysis of network structure among the depressive symptoms in a clinical sample of children and adolescents

The Independent and Cumulative Effects of Screen Exposure on Suicidal Ideation in Chinese Adolescents with Depressive Symptoms

INTRODUCTION

This study aims to examine the independent and cumulative effects of unhealthy screen exposure on suicidal ideation (SI) in Chinese adolescents with depressive symptoms.

METHOD

A total of 350 adolescents (33.7% males; ages 10-19) completed the Screen Exposure Questionnaire, the Children's Depression Inventory, and the Ottawa Self-Injury Scale. Binary logistic regression analysis models were used to analyze the independent risk effect of screen exposure on SI. A cumulative risk model for screen exposure to SI in adolescents was constructed using restricted cubic splines.

RESULTS

Adolescents who experienced excessive screen time and frequency, mealtime exposure, bedtime exposure, and early screen exposure were significantly associated with the occurrence of SI, and the risk increased nonlinearly with the number of exposures (Pnonlinear = .03).

DISCUSSION

Efforts should be made to reduce adolescents' screen exposure to prevent SI.

Negative emotions among Chinese primary and middle school students and association with screen time: A network analysis

BACKGROUND

Psychological health is crucial for the physical and mental well-being of primary and secondary school students, however, the research on the interrelationships among negative emotions is still limited. This study aims to investigate the network structure of depression, anxiety, and stress, and explore their correlation with screen time in these populations.

METHOD

This study was conducted from March to July 2022 in 157 counties across 18 cities in Henan Province. The Depression Anxiety Stress Scale (DASS-21) was used to assess the negative emotions experienced by students. Firstly, "Expected Influence" and "Bridge Expected Influence" were considered as key indicators within the symptom network to depict the structure of depressive, anxiety and stress symptoms. Secondly. a case-dropping bootstrap procedure was applied to assess the stability of the network. Finally, this study identified the central and bridge symptoms in the network, and explored their relationships with screen time.

RESULTS

The study included 52,782 students with an average age of 11.23±2.56 years. Network analysis showed that feelings of worthlessness, panic, and agitation are the predominant symptoms in the negative emotional networks. Depression, anxiety, and stress were interconnected through feelings of low mood, overreaction, and trembling. Additionally, lack of initiative and dry mouth exhibited the most significant direct associations with screen time.

CONCLUSION

The central and bridge symptoms identified in the negative emotion networks can serve as potential focal points for future research on negative emotions among primary and secondary school students.

Mapping the maze: A network analysis of social-emotional skills among children and adolescents with social-emotional difficulties

Developing social-emotional skills is crucial for all children and adolescents, particularly those experiencing social and emotional difficulties. This study used network analysis to identify the central skills and network association of different social-emotional skills and investigated how these networks differ between childhood and adolescence. Data were obtained from the 2019 Survey on Social and Emotional Skills by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development. Our study focused on the bottom quartile of participants aged 10 and 15 years, including 7737 and 7439 individuals from each age group. Optimism and cooperation consistently emerged as the central skills of social-emotional competence across both age groups. When comparing network structures, there was a significant difference between children and adolescents. The connectivity of social-emotional networks was stronger among adolescents, indicating closer skill associations. Understanding these developmental differences is important for educators and practitioners to more effectively support the social-emotional development of children and adolescents experiencing social-emotional difficulties.

Network Structure of Transdiagnostic Dimensions of Emotional Disorders in Adolescents With Subthreshold Anxiety and Depression: Links With Psychopathology and Socio-Emotional Adjustment

BACKGROUND

The transdiagnostic and network model approaches to psychopathology have emerged as an alternative to taxonomic systems. The main goal was to examine the network structure of the transdiagnostic dimensions of emotional disorders in adolescents with subclinical emotional symptoms. In addition, cross-sectional network analyses were conducted to investigate the relationships between transdiagnostic dimensions, psychopathology, and socio-emotional adjustment.

METHOD

The sample consisted of a total of 476 adolescents from 85 schools from different provinces in Spain with subthreshold anxiety and depression. The mean age was 13.77 years (SD = 1.43, range: 10-18 years), 73.9% were female. Several questionnaires assessing transdiagnostic dimensions of emotional disorders, mental health difficulties, self-esteem, perceived social support, sense of belonging at school, and prosocial behaviour were used.

RESULTS

A strong interrelation was found between the transdiagnostic variables, except with the positive temperament dimension. The dimensions with the greatest weight were those of traumatic re-experiencing, intrusive cognitions, avoidance, neuroticism, and depressed mood. Negative relationships were found between the transdiagnostic dimensions of emotional disorders and the protective factors included in the study. Stability analyses indicated that the networks were accurately estimated.

CONCLUSION

The present paper points to the value of conceptualising emotional disorders from a transdiagnostic and network model perspective. In addition, the work provides new insights into the nature of the relationships between transdiagnostic dimensions of emotional disorders, and the role played by risk and protective factors.

Using the Complex Network Model to Associate Nutritional, Psychological, and Physical Parameters and Aspects of Sleep with Depression Symptoms

Background/Objectives: Major depressive disorder is a significant public health concern linked to factors such as a low-quality diet, a sedentary lifestyle, and poor sleep quality, all of which contribute to its development; nevertheless, the existing literature lacks a comprehensive framework to effectively integrate these interrelated influences. Methods: To address this gap, we conducted a questionnaire-based study involving 411 individuals aged 18 to 74 and employed a weighted complex network model to clarify the associations among nutritional factors, physical activity levels, psychological parameters, and sleep profiles and depression. In addition to constructing networks that encompass distinct subgroups based on general context, sex differences (female vs. male), and four age categories, our network was designed with a clearly defined target: the score from the Beck Depression Inventory. Results: In all networks studied, psychological parameters (e.g., tension, depression, hostility, fatigue, confusion, and total mood disturbance) emerged as the most influential nodes in relation to the targeted node (Eigenvector centrality of approximately 0.30). Additionally, sleep quality was identified as the next most relevant parameter for the general network (Eigenvector = 0.25), while nutritional factors-particularly carbohydrates-demonstrated greater prestige within the male network (Eigenvector = 0.06). Nutritional parameters had a stronger influence on depressive symptoms among individuals aged 29-39 years (Eigenvectors = 0.09, 0.09, and 0.14 for energy, carbohydrates, and fat, respectively). Conclusions: This novel approach allowed for a clearer visualization of how the studied parameters impact depressive symptoms, revealing significant differences when certain aspects are examined independently across distinct groups.

Relationship between personality and adolescent depression: the mediating role of loneliness and problematic internet use

BACKGROUND

Previous research has indicated that personality traits, loneliness, and problematic internet use (PIU) significantly contribute to the prevalence of adolescent depression. However, the specific interrelationships among these variables in explaining the occurrence of depression remain unclear. Drawing upon susceptibility theory and cognitive-behavioral theory, this study explored whether personality traits influences adolescent depression through loneliness and PIU.

METHODS

A total of 2476 adolescents (aged 12-18) from all over the country completed a psycho-social test, including the 10-Item Big Five Personality Inventory (BFI-10), three-Item Loneliness Scale (T-ILS), Problematic Internet Use Questionnaire-Short Form (PIUQ-SF-6) and the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9). The mediation model was built and bootstrap method was used to test the mediating effect.

RESULTS

Results showed that neuroticism, conscientiousness, openness, and agreeableness have a direct role on depression. Loneliness and PIU partially mediated the relationship between neuroticism, conscientiousness, agreeableness and depression, and completely mediated the relationship between extroversion and depression.

CONCLUSIONS

The results suggest that loneliness and PIU play important mediating roles in the relationship between personality traits and depression. This remind us that alleviating sense of loneliness and reducing overuse of the internet are a strategy for improve depression among adolescents.

Inter-relationships between suicidality and depressive symptoms among children and adolescents experiencing crisis: A network perspective

OBJECTIVES

Suicidality and depressive symptoms have emerged as major mental health issues reported among children and adolescents experiencing crises. In light of these concerns, this study was conducted to elucidate interrelationships between depressive symptoms and suicidality at an item level within this population during the COVID-19 pandemic, a worldwide public health crisis affecting children and adolescents.

METHOD

A cross-sectional study design was used. Primary and secondary school students completed the Children's Depression Inventory - Short Version (CDI-S) and two standard suicidality questions tapping suicidal ideation and suicide plans, respectively. A network analysis was performed to examine inter-connections between depressive symptoms and suicidality.

RESULTS

A total of 5380 students participated in the study. Prevalence of suicidal ideation and suicide plans were 12.8 % (95 % CI = 11.9 %-13.7 %) and 9.9 % (95 % CI = 9.2 %-10.8 %), respectively; the prevalence of depressive symptoms was 41.2 % (95%CI = 39.8 %-42.5 %). The network analysis identified CDI4 (self-hatred) as the most influential node with the highest centrality, followed by CDI8 (loneliness), CDI5 (crying), and CDI1 (sadness). Additionally, CDI5 (crying), CDI1 (sadness), CDI4 (self-hatred), and CDI10 (feeling unloved) were the most meaningful nodes linking depressive symptoms with suicidality.

CONCLUSIONS

Critical depressive symptoms linked with suicidality among children and adolescents living through the COVID-19 pandemic included self-hatred, loneliness, crying, and sadness. Interventions that target these depressive symptoms may have increased utility in reducing the risk of suicidality within this population.

Depressive symptoms and loneliness among early adolescents: a psychometric network analysis approach

BACKGROUND

Previous studies demonstrate a high prevalence of depression and loneliness among adolescents. Although they often co-occur, the relationship between symptoms of depression and loneliness remains poorly understood. This study investigates: (a) the symptoms of depression that are connected to loneliness; (b) the role played by loneliness in the network of depression symptoms; and (c) whether the method used to measure loneliness (single-item direct or multi-item indirect) affects the relationship of loneliness with depressive symptoms.

METHODS

Participants were 496 Polish adolescents (50.8% girls) aged 11 to 13, who completed: (a) the 10-item Major Depressive Disorder subscale of the Revised Child Anxiety and Depression Scale; (b) the 11-item De Jong Gierveld Loneliness Scale (indirect loneliness), and (c) a single direct question evaluating loneliness: 'I'm lonely'. Networks were estimated using a Gaussian Graphical Model.

RESULTS

Loneliness shows a direct relationship with three affective symptoms of depression: sadness, worthlessness, and anhedonia, which mediate relationships with somatic symptoms. In contrast to previous studies, loneliness has the lowest level of centrality among all elements of the network. The method used to assess loneliness did not significantly affect the connections between loneliness and depressive symptoms.

CONCLUSIONS

Loneliness and depression overlap since they are formed by the same cognitive biases and deficits in emotion regulation but differ in the level of generality. In loneliness, they have an interpersonal context, while symptoms of depression can be intrapersonal. This helps us to understand why cognitive interventions, as compared to those which are social, are more effective in reducing loneliness.

Central symptoms and network associations of depressive symptoms among school-aged students: A network analysis

BACKGROUND

Depression is one of the most prevalent mental health problems occurred among school-aged students. Conceptualizing depressive symptoms as a network of interacting symptoms, this study used network analysis to identify central symptoms and network associations of depressive symptoms. The study also investigated how networks of depressive symptoms differ across school aged periods.

METHODS

A total of 2514 Chinese school-aged students in Grades 4 to 11 were recruited and asked to complete the Child Depression Inventory in this study.

RESULTS

The results showed that self-hatred consistently emerged as a central symptom of depressive symptoms across all school stages. Beyond this, each school stage had its unique central symptoms: loneliness was prominent in both elementary school and junior high school, while fatigue was more specific symptom to senior high school. When comparing the network structures across different school stages, there was a significant difference in network structure between elementary school students and junior high school students. The comparison in global strength showed that the network connectivity of depression network is stronger among elementary school students, with showing closer symptom associations.

CONCLUSIONS

By identifying central symptoms and their distinct associations, particularly the pronounced symptom interconnections among elementary school students, this study emphasize the critical importance of early interventions. Recognizing these stage-specific characteristics is essential for the development of effective prevention and intervention programs for depressive symptoms in school-aged students.

Behavioral Changes in Preschool- and School-Age Korean Children: A Network Analysis

The relationships between symptoms that comprise behavioral problems in children can be traced longitudinally to provide long-term support. This study identified signs that should be considered important in school age children by tracking changes in the relationships between different symptoms of behavioral problems in preschool and school age children. This study used Gaussian graphical network analysis to clarify the interaction of the overall subscales constituting the K-CBCL (Korean Child Behavior Checklist) and centrality in the network. In the Panel Study on Korean Children (PSKC), the K-CBCL/1.5–5 was used for children up to age six (first grade, elementary school), and the K-CBCL/6–18 was used for older children. In this study, 1323 PSKC samples (boys, n = 671; girls, n = 652) were used to distinguish nonclinical and (sub)clinical groups (T-score ≥ 60) compared to node centrality in each group’s CBCL subscale networks. Depression/anxiety was a persistent core symptom of the behavioral problem network in 5- and 7-year-old children. A new core symptom in 7-year-old children was posttraumatic stress problems added in version CBCL/6-18. Based on these results, it is necessary to consider both anxiety/depression and posttraumatic stress problems in preschool children to support the adaptation of school-age children.