Associations between depressive symptoms and quality of life among residents of Wuhan, China during the later stage of the COVID-19 pandemic: A network analysis

Yan Jie Zhao, Shu Fang Zhang, Wen Li, Ling Zhang, Tong Guo, Teris Cheung, Todd Jackson, Bing Xiang Yang, Yu Tao Xiang

Research output: Journal article publicationJournal articleAcademic researchpeer-review

11 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Background: Various populations have experienced significant increases in depression and decreased quality of life (QOL) during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. This network analysis study was designed to elucidate interconnections between particular depressive symptoms and different aspects of QOL and identify the most clinically important symptoms in this network among adults in Wuhan China, the initial epicenter of the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: This cross-sectional, convenience-sampling study (N = 2459) was conducted between May 25 to June 18, 2020, after the lockdown policy had been lifted in Wuhan. Depressive symptoms and QOL were measured with the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) and first two items of the World Health Organization Quality of Life Questionnaire - brief version (WHOQOL-BREF), respectively. A network structure was constructed from the extended Bayesian Information Criterion (EBIC) model. Network centrality strength and bridge strength were evaluated along with the stability of the derived network model. Results: Loss of energy (DEP-4) and Guilt feelings (DEP-6) were the two central symptoms with the highest strength as well as the two most prominent bridge symptoms connecting the clusters of depression and quality of life (QOL) in tandem with the two nodes from the QOL cluster. Network structure and bridge strengths remained stable after randomly dropping 75 % of the sample. Conclusion: Interventions targeting “Loss of energy” and “Guilt feelings” should be evaluated as strategies for reducing depressive symptoms and promoting improved QOL in COVID-19-affected populations.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)456-464
Number of pages9
JournalJournal of Affective Disorders
Volume318
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 1 Dec 2022

Keywords

  • Depression
  • Later stage of COVID-19
  • Network analysis
  • Quality of life

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Clinical Psychology
  • Psychiatry and Mental health

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Associations between depressive symptoms and quality of life among residents of Wuhan, China during the later stage of the COVID-19 pandemic: A network analysis'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this