Network analysis reveals symptom patterns in hospice patients, suggesting targeted interventions for depression and anxiety.
Key Points
This study aims to understand the comorbidity of depression and anxiety symptoms among hospice patients to facilitate targeted interventions.
Analyzed data from 388 hospice patients in China using Patient Health Questionnaire-9 and Generalized Anxiety Disorder Scale.
Conducted psychometric network analysis and latent class analysis using R and MPLUS.
Identified central and bridging symptoms in different symptom severity groups.
Hopelessness and anhedonia were key symptoms in the mild-symptom group, while nervousness and difficulty relaxing were prominent in the moderately-severe-symptom group.
Significant differences in network strength between mild and moderately-severe symptom groups were observed.
Interventions should focus on hopelessness, anxiety, and irritability to enhance symptom management.