Network analysis of anxiety and depressive symptoms during the COVID-19 pandemic in older adults in the United Kingdom.

The health crisis caused by COVID-19 in the United Kingdom and the confinement measures that were subsequently implemented had unprecedented effects on the mental health of older adults, leading to the emergence and exacerbation of different comorbid symptoms including depression and anxiety. This study examined and compared depression and anxiety symptom networks in two specific quarantine periods (June-July and November-December) in the older adult population in the United Kingdom. We used the database of the English Longitudinal Study of Aging COVID-19 Substudy, consisting of 5797 participants in the first stage (54% women) and 6512 participants in the second stage (56% women), all over 50 years of age. The symptoms with the highest centrality in both times were: "Nervousness (A1)" and "Inability to relax (A4)" in expected influence and predictability, and "depressed mood (D1"; bridging expected influence). The latter measure along with "Irritability (A6)" overlapped in both depression and anxiety clusters in both networks. In addition, a the cross-lagged panel network model was examined in which a more significant influence on the direction of the symptom "Nervousness (A1)" by the depressive symptoms of "Anhedonia (D6)", "Hopelessness (D7)", and "Sleep problems (D3)" was observed; the latter measure has the highest predictive capability of the network. The results report which symptoms had a higher degree of centrality and transdiagnostic overlap in the cross-sectional networks (invariants) and the cross-lagged panel network model of anxious and depressive symptomatology.

A Network Analysis Approach to Understanding Centrality and Overlap of 21 Dark Triad Items in Adults of 10 Countries.

Background: Previous research has suggested that manipulation and callousness are central to Dark Triad traits, but it has not identified which specific manifestations are expressed across various countries. Objective: This study aimed to identify the core and overlapping manifestations of Dark Triad traits across 10 countries. Methods: We used the Short Dark Triad (SD3) scale and assessed a sample of 8093 participants (59.7% women, M(age) = 32.68 years). For graphical representation, the spinglass algorithm was applied to understand the cluster distribution among Machiavellianism, psychopathy, and subclinical narcissism traits. Centrality indices were used to identify the most influential items, and the clique-percolation algorithm was employed to detect shared attributes among multiple Dark Triad items. Results: Straightforward SD3-21 items demonstrated better interpretability as aversive traits within the broader system. Items with higher centrality values were those related to short-term verbal manipulation from the psychopathy domain, clever manipulation, strategic revenge-seeking from Machiavellianism, and narcissistic motivations for connecting with significant individuals. The most predicted items were linked to planned revenge, using information against others from Machiavellianism, short-term psychopathic verbal manipulation, and narcissistic belief of specialness based on external validation. Items like short-term verbal manipulation had overlaps with both psychopathy and narcissism clusters, while clever manipulation overlapped with Machiavellianism and psychopathy. Conclusion: This cross-cultural study highlights the central role of verbal manipulation within the Dark Triad traits, along with identifying overlapping items among traits measured using straightforward SD3 scale items. In line with our findings, future research that incorporates a wide range of cultural contexts is encouraged to establish the consistency of these findings with the SD3 Scale or alternative measures.

Structure and factorial invariance of a brief version of the Eating Attitudes Test in Peruvian university students.

Background: University students often experience significant changes in their eating habits, which can increase the risk of developing eating disorders (ED). This situation calls for the creation of brief assessment tools to identify college students who may be most at risk. The aim of the study was to determine the psychometric properties of the Eating Attitudes Test-8 (EAT-8) in a Peruvian university population; additionally, the possible differences in the scores of the instrument according to sociodemographic variables, such as gender and age, were examined. Methods: A psychometric study was conducted on 610 participants (M = 24.3, SD = 2.16, and 61.5% female), aged 19 to 31 years, belonging to four universities of different professional careers. Results: The unidimensional eight-item model was found to have fit indices that confirm acceptable factorial validity (X2/df = 3.23, CFI = 0.984, TLI = 0.977, RMSEA = 0.061, SRMR = 0.049) and an internal consistency of 0.833 for the Cronbach's alpha coefficient and 0.838 for the McDonald's omega coefficient. In addition, the EAT-8 was reported to be invariant according to gender and age; likewise, there were no significant differences in the age and gender categories. Conclusion: The EAT-8 has solid psychometric properties, including validity, reliability, and invariance, in the Peruvian university population, which supports its ability to assess the risk of developing ED in this specific group.

Bifactor SEM and MIRT Structure of a 12-Item Human Immunodeficiency Virus Stigma Scale in Peruvian Adults.

BACKGROUND: The stigma associated with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) can lead to prejudice and discrimination against people who have been infected by this virus, consequently, it is important to have a validated tool to measure this phenomenon. However, there is only 1 national precedent that has validated the scores of this instrument in its 21-item version. Therefore, this study examined the bifactor structural equation method (SEM) and multidimensional item response theory (MIRT) structure of a 12-item human immunodeficiency virus stigma scale in Peruvian adults. METHODS: We evaluated 342 patients (57.6% female and 42.45% male) diagnosed with HIV receiving highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) from a hospital located in East Lima, aged 18 to 45 years (M = 31.4, SD = 9.79). A SEM was used to test 2 measurement models, a 4-factor correlated oblique model and a bifactor model due to high interfactor relationships. RESULTS: Acceptable fit indices were identified for the oblique model (χ2/df = 1.26, SRMR = 0.044, RMSEA [90% CI] = 0.028 [0.000-0.047], CFI = 0.996, TLI = 0.994). In the same way, similar results were evident for the bifactor model (χ2/df = 1.14, SRMR = 0.039, RMSEA [90% CI] = 0.020 [0.000-0.044], CFI = 0.998, TLI = 0.997), however, in the latter it showed a greater explanation for the unidimensional model (H = 0.87, PUC = 0.82, LCA = 0.70), which was also evidenced by the bifactor MIRT analysis. CONCLUSION: It is concluded that the 12-item HIV Stigma Scale meets the psychometric properties of internal structure and unifactorial reliability.

Factorial and network structure of the Reynolds Adolescent Depression Scale (RADS-2) in Peruvian adolescents.

Depression in young people is considered a public health problem, given that it affects their personal, social, and academic lives; therefore, early detection of depressive symptoms is of importance for a favorable prognosis. This study aimed to estimate the psychometric properties of the second edition of the Reynolds Adolescent Depression Scale (RADS-2) in Peruvian adolescents. The sample was composed of 917 Peruvian adolescents, aged 13 to 18 years (M = 15,241, SD = 1,020), who were selected from two public educational institutions in Metropolitan Lima. Confirmatory factor analysis supported the 25-item model with the four-dimensional structure and its overall and interdimensional reliability. This structure was found to be gender invariant. Finally, network analysis was performed to assess the relationships and centralities of the depressive symptoms of the validated version of the RADS-2. The results show that the RADS-2 measure is a consistent and reliable test that yields valid results in the Peruvian adolescent context.