Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40404385›Full record

ArticlePsychiatry investigation2025

Network Structure of Depression and Anxiety Symptoms in Older Asian Patients With Depressive Disorders: Findings From REAP-AD3.

Seon-Cheol Park, Kiwon Kim, Jeongsoo Park, Sun Choi, Seonhwa Lee, Seungwon Cho, Eunkyung Kim, Tian-Mei Si, Roy Abraham Kallivayalil, Andi J Tanra and 9 more

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Psychiatry investigation, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

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2citing papers in PubMed
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1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

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2 · The registry

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3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

2 citing papers in PubMed.

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4 · The record

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5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

19 authors.

Seon-Cheol ParkDepartment of Psychiatry, Hanyang University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
Kiwon KimWorkplace Mental Health Institute, Kangbuk Samsung Hospital, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
Jeongsoo ParkDepartment of Psychology, Ajou University, Suwon, Republic of Korea.
Sun ChoiDepartment of Psychology, Ajou University, Suwon, Republic of Korea.
Seonhwa LeeThe School of Human Sciences, Texas Women's University, Denton, TX, United States.
Seungwon ChoDepartment of Psychiatry, Hanyang University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
Eunkyung KimDepartment of Premedicine, Hanyang University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
Tian-Mei SiPeking University Sixth Hospital, Peking University Institute of Mental Health, NHC Key Laboratory of Mental Health (Peking University), National Clinical Research Centre for Mental Disorders (Peking University Sixth Hospital), Beijing, China.
Roy Abraham KallivayalilPushpagiri Institute of Medical Sciences and Research Centre, Thiruvalla and Mar Sleeva Medicity, Palai, India.
Andi J TanraDepartment of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, Hasanuddin University, Makassar, Indonesia.
Amir Hossein Jalali NadoushanMental Health Research Centre, Psychosocial Health Research Institute, Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
Kok Yoon CheeDepartment of Psychiatry & Mental Health, Tunku Abdul Rahman Institute of Neurosciences, Kuala Lumpur Hospital, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Afzal JavedPakistan Psychiatric Research Centre, Fountain House, Lahore, Pakistan.
Kang SimInstitute of Mental Health, Buangkok Green Medical Park, Singapore.
Pornjira PariwatcharakulDepartment of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine Siriraj Hospital, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand.
Takahiro A KatoDepartment of Neuropsychiatry, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan.
Shih-Ku LinDepartment of Psychiatry, Linkou Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Taoyuan, Taiwan.
Naotaka ShinfukuSchool of Human Sciences, Seinan Gakuin University, Fukuoka, Japan.
Norman SartoriusAssociation for the Improvement of Mental Health Programs, Geneva, Switzerland.

Funding

AMOREPACIFIC Foundation
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

objectiveThe clinical presentation of depressive disorders might be influenced by age, and its diagnosis and treatment can be affected by ageism-related bias. A network analysis can reveal symptom patterns unrecognized by the reductionistic approach. Therefore, this study explores the network structure of depression and anxiety symptoms in older Asian patients with depressive disorders and examines age-related differences in the context of ageism.

methodsWe used data from the Research on Asian Psychotropic Prescription Patterns for Antidepressants, Phase 3 study and included 2,785 psychiatric patients from 11 Asian countries. Depression and anxiety symptoms were assessed using the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 and Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7. Network analyses were conducted to identify symptom interconnections and centrality among older (>65 years), middle-aged (35-64 years), and young (18-34 years) adult groups. The network structures were also compared using a network comparison test.

resultsDepressed mood was the most central symptom across all age groups. Network comparisons revealed no significant structural differences among the three age groups, despite several variations in terms of global strength. The network structure of the older group was characterized by strong interconnections between somatic symptoms (insomnia-energy) and core depressive symptoms (little interest or pleasure-feelings of hopelessness).

conclusionThis study reveals that the network structures of depression and anxiety symptoms have relatively consistent interconnections across age groups, despite subtle age-based differences. Specifically, older adults tend to present anxiety and depression symptoms as physical complaints. These findings challenge ageist stereotypes and advocate for inclusive, age-neutral approaches to treatment.

Indexed as

AgeAgeismAnxietyAsian patientsDepressionNetwork analysis

Identifiers

PMID40404385
PMCPMC12104763

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.