Feelings of worthlessness links depressive symptoms and parental stress: A network analysis during the COVID-19 pandemic
AbstractBackgroundThe prevalent co-occurrence between parental stress and depression has been established prior to and during the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak. However, no studies to date have identified the connections through which these symptom domains interact with each other to emerge into a comp...
| Main Authors: | , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Cambridge University Press
2021-01-01
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| Series: | European Psychiatry |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.cambridge.org/core/product/identifier/S0924933821022239/type/journal_article |
| _version_ | 1811156388149198848 |
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| author | Nora Skjerdingstad Miriam Sinkerud Johnson Sverre Urnes Johnson Asle Hoffart Omid V. Ebrahimi |
| author_facet | Nora Skjerdingstad Miriam Sinkerud Johnson Sverre Urnes Johnson Asle Hoffart Omid V. Ebrahimi |
| author_sort | Nora Skjerdingstad |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | AbstractBackgroundThe prevalent co-occurrence between parental stress and depression has been established prior to and during the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak. However, no studies to date have identified the connections through which these symptom domains interact with each other to emerge into a complex and detrimental mental health state, along with the plausible mechanistic variables that may play key roles in maintaining parental stress and depression. The aim of this research is to uncover these interactions in a period where parents experience heightened demands and stress because of the strict social distancing protocols.MethodsNetwork analysis is utilized to examine parental stress and depressive symptoms during the COVID-19 pandemic in a large cross-sectional study (N = 2,868) of parents. Two graphical Gaussian graphical network models were estimated, one in which only parental stress and depression symptoms were included, and another in which several mechanistic variables were added.ResultsExpected influence and bridge expected influence revealed that feeling worthless was the most influential node in the symptoms network and bridged the two psychological states. Among the mechanistic variables, worry and rumination was specifically relevant in the depressive cluster of symptoms, and self-criticism was connected to both constructs.ConclusionThe study displays that the co-occurrence of parental stress and depression has specific pathways, was manifested through feelings of worthlessness, and has specific patterns of connection to important mechanisms of psychopathology. The results are of utility when aiming to avoid the constellation of co-occurring parental stress and depressive symptoms during the pandemic. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-10T04:49:34Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-a5521683429045eea8549511ee0f8bd5 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 0924-9338 1778-3585 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-10T04:49:34Z |
| publishDate | 2021-01-01 |
| publisher | Cambridge University Press |
| record_format | Article |
| series | European Psychiatry |
| spelling | doaj.art-a5521683429045eea8549511ee0f8bd52023-03-09T12:33:54ZengCambridge University PressEuropean Psychiatry0924-93381778-35852021-01-016410.1192/j.eurpsy.2021.2223Feelings of worthlessness links depressive symptoms and parental stress: A network analysis during the COVID-19 pandemicNora Skjerdingstad0https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8900-059XMiriam Sinkerud Johnson1https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7486-2859Sverre Urnes Johnson2https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7190-4187Asle Hoffart3https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8042-8570Omid V. Ebrahimi4https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8335-2217Department of Psychology, University of Oslo, Oslo, NorwayDepartment of Behavioural Science, Oslo Metropolitan University, Oslo, NorwayDepartment of Psychology, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway Research Institute, Modum Bad Psychiatric Hospital, Vikersund, NorwayDepartment of Psychology, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway Research Institute, Modum Bad Psychiatric Hospital, Vikersund, NorwayDepartment of Psychology, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway Research Institute, Modum Bad Psychiatric Hospital, Vikersund, NorwayAbstractBackgroundThe prevalent co-occurrence between parental stress and depression has been established prior to and during the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak. However, no studies to date have identified the connections through which these symptom domains interact with each other to emerge into a complex and detrimental mental health state, along with the plausible mechanistic variables that may play key roles in maintaining parental stress and depression. The aim of this research is to uncover these interactions in a period where parents experience heightened demands and stress because of the strict social distancing protocols.MethodsNetwork analysis is utilized to examine parental stress and depressive symptoms during the COVID-19 pandemic in a large cross-sectional study (N = 2,868) of parents. Two graphical Gaussian graphical network models were estimated, one in which only parental stress and depression symptoms were included, and another in which several mechanistic variables were added.ResultsExpected influence and bridge expected influence revealed that feeling worthless was the most influential node in the symptoms network and bridged the two psychological states. Among the mechanistic variables, worry and rumination was specifically relevant in the depressive cluster of symptoms, and self-criticism was connected to both constructs.ConclusionThe study displays that the co-occurrence of parental stress and depression has specific pathways, was manifested through feelings of worthlessness, and has specific patterns of connection to important mechanisms of psychopathology. The results are of utility when aiming to avoid the constellation of co-occurring parental stress and depressive symptoms during the pandemic.https://www.cambridge.org/core/product/identifier/S0924933821022239/type/journal_articleCOVID-19depressionmechanismsnetwork analysisparental stress |
| spellingShingle | Nora Skjerdingstad Miriam Sinkerud Johnson Sverre Urnes Johnson Asle Hoffart Omid V. Ebrahimi Feelings of worthlessness links depressive symptoms and parental stress: A network analysis during the COVID-19 pandemic European Psychiatry COVID-19 depression mechanisms network analysis parental stress |
| title | Feelings of worthlessness links depressive symptoms and parental stress: A network analysis during the COVID-19 pandemic |
| title_full | Feelings of worthlessness links depressive symptoms and parental stress: A network analysis during the COVID-19 pandemic |
| title_fullStr | Feelings of worthlessness links depressive symptoms and parental stress: A network analysis during the COVID-19 pandemic |
| title_full_unstemmed | Feelings of worthlessness links depressive symptoms and parental stress: A network analysis during the COVID-19 pandemic |
| title_short | Feelings of worthlessness links depressive symptoms and parental stress: A network analysis during the COVID-19 pandemic |
| title_sort | feelings of worthlessness links depressive symptoms and parental stress a network analysis during the covid 19 pandemic |
| topic | COVID-19 depression mechanisms network analysis parental stress |
| url | https://www.cambridge.org/core/product/identifier/S0924933821022239/type/journal_article |
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