A New Method in Psychopathology Research: Network Analysis

Year 2024, Volume: 16 Issue: 2, 358 - 372, 30.06.2024

Ülkü Güreşen

https://doi.org/10.18863/pgy.1306952

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

Network analysis, Psychological networks, Partial correlation networks, Bayesian networks, R statistics

Psikopatoloji Araştırmalarında Yeni Bir Yöntem: Ağ Analizi

Abstract

Ağ analizi doğa bilimlerinde ve sosyal bilimlerde uzun zamandır kullanılan bir veri analizi yöntemi olmasına karşın psikoloji alanında kullanımı henüz yenidir. Psikolojik bozukluklarda diğer tıbbi hastalıklardan farklı olarak bozukluğun belirti vermeden önce laboratuvar ortamında ya da çeşitli görüntüleme yöntemleriyle gözlenebilmesi mümkün değildir. Ancak bütün psikolojik bozukluklar gözlenebilen belirtiler sayesinde tespit edilebilir. Buna göre tetikleyici bir dışsal bir etken tarafından etkinleştirilen belirti diğer belirtileri de etkinleştirerek bir döngü oluşturur. Klinik psikolojide ağ yaklaşımı geleneksel kategorik tanı yaklaşımlarına eleştiri getirerek öncelikle psikolojik bozuklukları oluşturan belirtilerin organizasyonunun ve aralarındaki etkileşimin incelenmesi gerektiğini savunur. Böylece sağaltım aşamasında önemli rol oynayan belirtilere müdahale edilmesi hem tedaviyi çabuklaştıracak hem de daha etkili bir sağaltım sağlayacaktır. Ağ analizi hem kesitsel hem de boylamsal çalışmalardan elde edilen verileri analiz etmek için kullanılabilmektedir. Psikometrik ağlar psikolojik bozukluğu oluşturan önemli belirtilerin yanı sıra bu belirtiler arası yönlü ilişkileri tespit edebilme, komorbidite, belirti örüntüsünü tetikleyici etkenlerin incelenmesi, müdahale etkililiğinin incelenmesi, farklı örneklem özelliklerine göre belirti örüntülerin karşılaştırılması gibi geniş olanaklar sağlamaktadır. Buna karşın psikometrik ağların geçerliği tartışma konusu olmuş ve psikometrik ağların güvenilirliğini arttırmak için çeşitli yöntemler geliştirilmiştir. Son yıllardaki teknolojik gelişmeler diğer bilimlerde olduğu gibi psikolojide de ağ analizinin uygulanmasını kolaylaştırmıştır. Özellikle ek paket programlarla da desteklenen ve tamamen ücretsiz olarak erişime açık olan R istatistiği yazılımı psikolojide ağ analizi gerçekleştirmek için geniş olanaklar sağlamaktadır. Bu derleme yazısında ağ analizinin tarihsel ve kuramsal alt yapısı, psikometrik ağların özellikle de klinik araştırmalarda kullanım alanları, yapısı ve geçerliliği, ağ analizi gerçekleştirmek için kullanılan R istatistiği yazılımı hakkında kısa bir bilgilendirme yapılması amaçlanmaktadır.

Keywords

Ağ analizi, Psikolojik ağlar, Kısmi korelasyon ağları, Bayes ağları, R istatistiği

Supporting Institution

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

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