The backbone symptoms of depression: a network analysis after the initial wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in Macao.

ABSTRACT:

Background

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic disrupted the working lives of Macau residents, possibly leading to mental health issues such as depression. The pandemic served as the context for this investigation of the network structure of depressive symptoms in a community sample. This study aimed to identify the backbone symptoms of depression and to propose an intervention target.

Methods

This study recruited a convenience sample of 975 Macao residents between 20th August and 9th November 2020. In an electronic survey, depressive symptoms were assessed with the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9). Symptom relationships and centrality indices were identified using directed and undirected network estimation methods. The undirected network was constructed u

SUBMITTER: Zhao YJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9482773 | biostudies-literature | 2022

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature