The symptoms at the center: Examining the comorbidity of posttraumatic stress disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, and depression with network analysis.

ABSTRACT: Comorbid mental health disorders are highly common in trauma-exposed individuals with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, and generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) among the most common co-occurring conditions. Network models of psychopathology offer a novel method to understand how this comorbidity manifests. The present study examined the presence of symptom communities (groups of highly connected symptoms) within a network of these disorders and hub symptoms (symptoms that connect such communities). Cross-sectional data were obtained from a community sample (N = 1184) of trauma exposed adults. Network analyses identified 5 communities: 1 containing all depression and GAD symptoms and 4 for PTSD. The PTSD communities corresponded to symptoms of intrusion and avoidance, hyperar

SUBMITTER: Price M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6420212 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature