Advancing the network theory of mental disorders: A computational model of panic disorder.

The network theory of psychopathology posits that mental disorders are systems of mutually reinforcing symptoms. This framework has proven highly generative but does not specify precisely how any specific mental disorder operates as such a system. Cognitive behavioral theories of mental disorders provide considerable insight into how these systems may operate.

Perturbation graphs, invariant causal prediction and causal relations in psychology.

Networks (graphs) in psychology are often restricted to settings without interventions. Here we consider a framework borrowed from biology that involves multiple interventions from different contexts (observations and experiments) in a single analysis. The method is called perturbation graphs.

Intergenerational relations in childhood anxiety: A network approach.

Objective: Family factors are assumed to play a central role in the development of childhood anxiety disorders. How child and parental anxiety symptoms are intertwined on a symptom and family level has not yet been examined. Such knowledge may lead to a more detailed understanding of the intergenerational relation in anxiety problems.

Comparing network structures on three aspects: A permutation test.

Network approaches to psychometric constructs, in which constructs are modeled in terms of interactions between their constituent factors, have rapidly gained popularity in psychology. Applications of such network approaches to various psychological constructs have recently moved from a descriptive stance, in which the goal is to estimate the network structure that pertains to a construct, to a more comparative stance, in which the goal is to compare network structures across populations. However, the statistical tools to do so are lacking.

The search for causality: A comparison of different techniques for causal inference graphs.

Estimating causal relations between two or more variables is an important topic in psychology. Establishing a causal relation between two variables can help us in answering that question of why something happens. However, using solely observational data are insufficient to get the complete causal picture.

Exploring the interrelatedness of risk factors for child maltreatment: A network approach.

Background: Theories on the etiology of child maltreatment generally focus on the interaction between multiple risk and protective factors. Moreover, the quadratic model of cumulative risk describes a threshold at which the risk of child maltreatment increases exponentially, suggesting a synergistic effect between risk factors.

Objective: This study explored the interrelatedness of risk factors for child maltreatment.

Obsessive-compulsive symptoms in eating disorders: A network investigation.

Objective: Eating disorders (EDs) are complex, heterogeneous, and severe psychiatric syndromes. They are highly comorbid with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) which exacerbates the course of illness and impedes treatment. However, the direct functional relations between EDs and OCD symptoms remain largely unexplored.

Applying a Dynamical Systems Model and Network Theory to Major Depressive Disorder.

Mental disorders like major depressive disorder can be modeled as complex dynamical systems. In this study we investigate the dynamic behavior of individuals to see whether or not we can expect a transition to another mood state. We introduce a mean field model to a binomial process, where we reduce a dynamic multidimensional system (stochastic cellular automaton) to a one-dimensional system to analyse the dynamics.

Outcome measurement in mental health services: insights from symptom networks.

Background: In mental health, outcomes are currently measured by changes of individual scores. However, such an analysis on individual scores does not take into account the interaction between symptoms, which could yield crucial information while investigating outcomes. Network analysis techniques can be used to routinely study these systems of interacting symptoms.

Emotional and Behavioral Symptom Network Structure in Elementary School Girls and Association With Anxiety Disorders and Depression in Adolescence and Early Adulthood: A Network Analysis.

Importance: The onset of adult psychopathologic disorders can be traced to behavioral or emotional symptoms observed in childhood, which could be targeted in early interventions to prevent future mental disorders. The network perspective is a novel conceptualization of psychopathologic disorders that could help to identify target symptoms with a distinct role in the emergence of mental illness.

Objective: To assess whether the network structure of emotional and behavioral symptoms among elementary school girls is associated with anxiety disorders or major depression in early adulthood.

Longitudinal network structure of depression symptoms and self-efficacy in low-income mothers.

Maternal depression was recently conceptualized as a network of interacting symptoms. Prior studies have shown that low self-efficacy, as an index of maternal functioning, is one important source of stress that worsens depression. We have limited information, however, on the specific relationships between depression symptoms and self-efficacy.

Pitching Emotions: The Interpersonal Effects of Emotions in Professional Baseball.

Sports games are inherently emotional situations, but surprisingly little is known about the social consequences of these emotions. We examined the interpersonal effects of emotional expressions in professional baseball. Specifically, we investigated whether pitchers' facial displays influence how pitches are assessed and responded to.

The application of a network approach to Health-Related Quality of Life (HRQoL): introducing a new method for assessing HRQoL in healthy adults and cancer patients.

Purpose: Health-Related Quality of Life (HRQoL) research has typically adopted either a formative approach, in which HRQoL is the common effect of its observables, or a reflective approach--defining HRQoL as a latent variable that determines observable characteristics of HRQoL. Both approaches, however, do not take into account the complex organization of these characteristics. The objective of this study was to introduce a new approach for analyzing HRQoL data, namely a network model (NM).