Network modeling of major depressive disorder symptoms in adult women.

BACKGROUND: Major depressive disorder (MDD) is one of the growing human mental health challenges facing the global health care system. In this study, the structural connectivity between symptoms of MDD is explored using two different network modeling approaches. METHODS: Data are from 'the Virginia Adult Twin Study of Psychiatric and Substance Use Disorders (VATSPSUD)'. A cohort of N = 2163 American Caucasian female-female twins was assessed as part of the VATSPSUD study. MDD symptoms were assessed using personal structured clinical interviews. Two network analyses were conducted. First, an undirected network model was estimated to explore the connectivity between the MDD symptoms. Then, using a Bayesian network, we computed a directed acyclic graph (DAG) to investigate possible directional relationships between symptoms. RESULTS: Based on the results of the undirected network, the depressed mood symptom had the highest centrality value, indicating its importance in the overall network of MDD symptoms. Bayesian network analysis indicated that depressed mood emerged as a plausible driving symptom for activating other symptoms. These results are consistent with DSM-5 guidelines for MDD. Also, somatic weight and appetite symptoms appeared as the strongest connections in both networks. CONCLUSIONS: We discuss how the findings of our study might help future research to detect clinically relevant symptoms and possible directional relationships between MDD symptoms defining major depression episodes, which would help identify potential tailored interventions. This is the first study to investigate the network structure of VATSPSUD data using both undirected and directed network models.

Dialectical Behavior Therapy: Effect on Emotion Regulation and Death Anxiety in Older Female Adults.

This study examined the effectiveness of dialectical behavior therapy intervention on emotion regulation and death anxiety in old women. This quasi-experimental study was conducted using a pretest-posttest design with a control group. The research population included elderly women aged 60-75 years who were members of the Tehran Municipality Retirees Association in 2020. A total of 30 women were assigned to intervention and control groups (15 persons in each group). The participants in the intervention group received the dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) intervention for 10 sessions while the participants in the control group did not receive any intervention. The results of the analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) showed that there was a significant difference between the women in the intervention and control groups in terms of cognitive emotion regulation and death anxiety on the posttest. This therapy can be used for the elderly living in nursing homes and aging associations and institutions.

The Effect of Stress Management Model in Quality of Life in Breast Cancer Women.

BACKGROUND: Breast cancer associates with severs severe distress and stress. Since Because of that, the stress management program can train necessary skills to cope with stress; therefore, the current study investigates the effectiveness of stress management on enhancement of quality of life. OBJECTIVES: The aim of the current study is to examine the effectiveness of stress management model in quality of life for breast cancer patients. PATIENTS AND METHODS: This research is a quasi-experimental study with pre and post-tests. The 21 subjects were selected from cancer institute of Imam Khomeini in Tehran in 2014. The participants were allocated to two matched groups based on their pre-test scores. They were assigned randomly to the control and experimental groups. Stress management was conducted with the experimental group during 10 sessions. Then the questionnaire was administered at post-test. Statistical analysis was conducted by using the independent t-test and analysis of variance. The research instrument was the core quality of life questionnaire QLQ-C30. RESULTS: The results of the independent t-test showed that there is a significant difference between the pretest and post-test scores in the experimental group (P < 0.05). Also, there is no significant difference between means of quality of life subscales and socio demographic of the patients such as; age, education and disease stage (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The results indicate that stress management can change the irrational and distortion thoughts. So, it enhances the quality of life in breast cancer patients.

Depression in patients with chronic hepatitis B: an experience on individual solution- focused therapy.

Hepatitis B, as a chronic disorder that may be associated with several psychiatric disorders, such as depression, and decrease quality of life of affected patients. One of the most important consequences of psychiatric problems is reduced patient compliance with prolonged therapeutic regimens. Psychotherapy, such as solution- focused therapy, may help these patients to resolve psychiatric problems, increase quality of life and completion of therapeutic regimens. Solution-focused therapy is effective for patients when developing effective coping responses to the stressors associated with chronic diseases. In this study, the process and effects of solution-focused therapy on depression of 2 patients with chronic hepatitis B have been described. They received solution focused therapy for 5 sessions, each session 1 hour once a week. This technique was helpful to decrease symptoms and signs of depression within 5 weeks.