Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42063203›Full record

ArticleBMC global and public health2026

Investigating differences in common mental health symptom expression and co-occurrence across ethnicities.

Henry Delamain, Jonas Haslbeck, Madiha Shaikh, Joshua Eusty Jonathan Buckman, Renuka Jena, Rob Saunders, Joshua Stott, Jae Won Suh, Stephen Pilling, Ciarán O'Driscoll

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Article in BMC global and public health, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

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3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

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No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

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5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

10 authors.

Henry DelamainCORE Data Lab, Centre for Outcomes Research and Effectiveness (CORE), Research Department of Clinical, Educational and Health Psychology, University College London, 1-19 Torrington Place, London, WC1E 7HB, UK.
Jonas HaslbeckDepartment of Psychological Methods, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands.
Madiha ShaikhResearch Department of Clinical, Educational and Health Psychology, University College London, London, UK.
Joshua Eusty Jonathan BuckmanCORE Data Lab, Centre for Outcomes Research and Effectiveness (CORE), Research Department of Clinical, Educational and Health Psychology, University College London, 1-19 Torrington Place, London, WC1E 7HB, UK.
Renuka JenaWaltham Forest Talking Therapies, North East London NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK.
Rob SaundersCORE Data Lab, Centre for Outcomes Research and Effectiveness (CORE), Research Department of Clinical, Educational and Health Psychology, University College London, 1-19 Torrington Place, London, WC1E 7HB, UK.
Joshua StottAdapt Lab, Research Department of Clinical, Educational and Health Psychology, University College London, London, UK.
Jae Won SuhCORE Data Lab, Centre for Outcomes Research and Effectiveness (CORE), Research Department of Clinical, Educational and Health Psychology, University College London, 1-19 Torrington Place, London, WC1E 7HB, UK.
Stephen PillingCORE Data Lab, Centre for Outcomes Research and Effectiveness (CORE), Research Department of Clinical, Educational and Health Psychology, University College London, 1-19 Torrington Place, London, WC1E 7HB, UK.
Ciarán O'DriscollCORE Data Lab, Centre for Outcomes Research and Effectiveness (CORE), Research Department of Clinical, Educational and Health Psychology, University College London, 1-19 Torrington Place, London, WC1E 7HB, UK. c.odriscoll@ucl.ac.uk.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundEthnic inequalities exist in the prevalence of mental disorders and their associated treatment outcomes. Cultural variation may influence psychological symptom expression; understanding this might inform care and ultimately reduce care disparities.

methodsData were analysed from 147,037 individuals referred to psychological treatment services in London, England. Moderated network analysis was used to examine the expression and co-occurrence of symptoms of depression, anxiety, and social functioning. Age and gender were included as covariates, and ethnicity (11 categories) was entered as the moderating variable. Symptom-level differences and differences in symptom-to-symptom relationships were estimated across all ethnic group comparisons.

resultsThere was substantial variation in symptom networks between ethnic groups. White British individuals showed the most differences compared to other ethnic groups, particularly with higher endorsement of anxiety-related symptoms (e.g. nervousness and excessive worry) and greater reported functional impairment in work and social domains. Differences in symptom co-occurrence (the relationships between symptoms) were less frequent than differences in individual symptom levels. Across groups, several symptoms showed consistent relationships, suggesting shared aspects of distress alongside culturally patterned variation in symptom expression.

conclusionsThe influence of ethnicity on both symptom levels and symptom co-occurrence underscores the importance of culturally informed assessment. These findings highlight the need for services to consider culturally relevant symptom presentations to promote more equitable and appropriate mental health care.

Indexed as

Ethnic inequalitiesMental disordersModerated network analysis

Identifiers

PMID42063203
PMCPMC13134100

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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.