Review

A New Method in Psychopathology Research: Network Analysis

Volume: 16 Number: 2 June 30, 2024
TR EN

A New Method in Psychopathology Research: Network Analysis

Abstract

Though network analysis has a long history in both natural and social sciences it has emerged as a new method in psychology in recent years. Unlike medical disorders, mental disorders are not observable in laboratory. However, we can identify them by the way of observable symptoms. According to the network perspective, a disorder occurs when an external event triggers a psychological symptom. Activated symptom also interacts with other symptoms and forms a pattern of symptoms. Network approach criticizes traditional categorical diagnostic approach and focuses on symptom organization. Probably, treating the most effective symptom will accelerate recovery process and provide more effective treatment. Network analysis can be used in both cross-sectional and longitudinal studies. Psychological networks provide opportunities to investigate direction of the relationship among symptoms, comorbidity, external triggers of psychological symptoms, effectiveness of treatment, comparison of symptom pattern according to sample characteristics. Despite the utility of psychological networks, accuracy of them has been questioned and certain methods to prove accuracy of networks proposed as response. Technological progress in recent years enabled network analysis to be more eligible in psychology. R Statistics software is very useful in network analysis which is totally free and open sourced and supported by many additional packages. This review article aims is to provide information about usage of network analysis in psychology, especially in clinical research. In the first part historical and theoretical background of network analysis was introduced and in the following parts structure, validity of psychological networks and R Statistics Software which is used for conducting network analysis were explained briefly.

Keywords

Supporting Institution

Bu çalışma için herhangi bir kişi ya da kurumdan destek alınmamıştır.

References

  1. Anker JJ, Forbes MK, Almquist ZW, Menk JS, Thuras P, Unruh AS et al. (2017) A network approach to modeling comorbid internalizing and alcohol use disorders. J Abnorm Psychol, 126:325–339.
  2. Bai W, Cai H, Liu S, Chen X, Sha S, Cheung T et al. (2021) Anxiety and depressive symptoms in college students during the late stage of the COVID-19 outbreak: a network approach. Transl Psychiatry, 11:638.
  3. Betz L, Penzel N, Rosen M, Kambeitz J (2020) Relationships between childhood trauma and perceived stress in the general population: a network perspective. Psychol Med, 51: 2696-2706.
  4. Borsboom D (2017) A network theory of mental disorders. World Psychiatry, 16:5-13.
  5. Borsboom D, Fried EI, Epskamp S, Waldorp LJ, van Borkulo CD, van der Maas HLJ, Cramer AOJ (2017) False alarm? a comprehensive reanalysis of "vidence that psychopathology symptom networks have limited replicability" by Forbes, Wright, Markon, and Krueger J Abnorm Psychol. 126:989-999.
  6. Borsboom D and Cramer A O (2013). Network analysis: An intergative approach to the structure of psychopathology. Annu Rev Clin Psychol, 9:91-121.
  7. Borsboom D (2022) Possible futures for network psychometrics. Psychometrika, 87:253-265.
  8. Boschloo L, van Borkulo CD, Rhemtulla M, Keyes KM, Borsboom D, Schoevers RA (2015). The network structure of symptoms of the Diagnostic And Statistical Manual Of Mental Disorders. Plos One, 10:e0137621.

Details

Primary Language

English

Subjects

Psychology

Journal Section

Review

Early Pub Date

January 28, 2024

Publication Date

June 30, 2024

Submission Date

June 1, 2023

Acceptance Date

October 25, 2023

Published in Issue

Year 2024 Volume: 16 Number: 2

JAMA
1.Güreşen Ü. A New Method in Psychopathology Research: Network Analysis. Psikiyatride Güncel Yaklaşımlar - Current Approaches in Psychiatry. 2024;16:358–372.

Cited By

 
Creative Commons License
Psikiyatride Güncel Yaklaşımlar - Current Approaches in Psychiatry is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.