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Measuring depression over time ... or not? Lack of unidimensionality and longitudinal measurement invariance in four common rating scales of depression KU Leuven
In depression research, symptoms are routinely assessed via rating scales and added to construct sum-scores. These scores are used as a proxy for depression severity in cross-sectional research, and differences in sum-scores over time are taken to reflect changes in an underlying depression construct. To allow for such interpretations, rating scales must (a) measure a single construct, and (b) measure that construct in the same way across time. ...
What are 'good' depression symptoms? Comparing the centrality of DSM and non-DSM symptoms of depression in a network analysis KU Leuven
BACKGROUND: The symptoms for Major Depression (MD) defined in the DSM-5 differ markedly from symptoms assessed in common rating scales, and the empirical question about core depression symptoms is unresolved. Here we conceptualize depression as a complex dynamic system of interacting symptoms to examine what symptoms are most central to driving depressive processes. METHODS: We constructed a network of 28 depression symptoms assessed via the ...
Two-mode K-Spectral Centroid analysis for studying multivariate longitudinal profiles KU Leuven
© 2016 Elsevier B.V.. In many scientific areas, researchers collect multivariate time profile data on the evolution of a set of variables across time for multiple persons. For instance, clinical studies often focus on the effects of an intervention on different symptoms for multiple persons, by repeatedly measuring symptom severity for each symptom and each person. To pursue an insightful overview on how these time profiles vary as a function of ...
Depression sum-scores don't add up: Why analyzing specific depression symptoms is essential KU Leuven
Most measures of depression severity are based on the number of reported symptoms, and threshold scores are often used to classify individuals as healthy or depressed. This method – and research results based on it – are valid if depression is a single condition, and all symptoms are equally good severity indicators. Here, we review a host of studies documenting that specific depressive symptoms like sad mood, insomnia, concentration problems, ...
Depression is not a consistent syndrome: An investigation of unique symptom patterns in the STAR*D study KU Leuven
BACKGROUND: The DSM-5 encompasses a wide range of symptoms for Major Depressive Disorder (MDD). Symptoms are commonly added up to sum-scores, and thresholds differentiate between healthy and depressed individuals. The underlying assumption is that all patients diagnosed with MDD have a similar condition, and that sum-scores accurately reflect the severity of this condition. To test this assumption, we examined the number of DSM-5 depression ...
From loss to loneliness: The relationship between bereavement and depressive symptoms KU Leuven Universiteit Gent
Spousal bereavement can cause a rise in depressive symptoms. This study empirically evaluates 2 competing explanations concerning how this causal effect is brought about: (a) a traditional latent variable explanation, in which loss triggers depression which then leads to symptoms; and (b) a novel network explanation, in which bereavement directly affects particular depression symptoms which then activate other symptoms. We used data from the ...
Problematic assumptions have slowed down depression research: why symptoms, not syndromes are the way forward KU Leuven
Major depression (MD) is a highly heterogeneous diagnostic category. Diverse symptoms such as sad mood, anhedonia, and fatigue are routinely added to an unweighted sum-score, and cutoffs are used to distinguish between depressed participants and healthy controls. Researchers then investigate outcome variables like MD risk factors, biomarkers, and treatment response in such samples. These practices presuppose that (1) depression is a discrete ...