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Anxiety and depression are often comorbid and chronic disorders. Previous research indicates that positivity relinquishment is a moderator of anxiety and depression, such that only anxious individuals who endorsed relinquishing positivity were also depressed. We sought to extend those findings by conducting three network analyses with self-report measures of anxiety, depression, activity avoidance, and perceived positivity of avoided activities (N = 104). We pre-registered our hypothesis for the first two networks that relinquishment of positivity would emerge as a central bridge symptom between anxiety and depressive symptoms. After combining redundant nodes, we estimated three networks and investigated the bridge symptoms in each network. Relinquishment of positivity bridged the symptom clusters in the first network, and avoidance of positivity was found to bridge the two symptom clusters of anxiety and depression in networks two and three. Additionally, an anhedonia circuit was uncovered in all three networks in which loss of interest/worthlessness, loss of energy, and loss of pleasure/pessimism connected to anxiety through relinquishment or avoidance. Our findings suggest that both relinquishment of positivity as well as avoidance of positivity could be potential pathways explaining the development and maintenance of anxiety and depression and should be properly targeted in treatment. • Relinquishment of positivity was found to bridge symptoms of depression and anxiety. • Positivity avoidance was found to bridge symptoms of depression and anxiety. • Anhedonia items were influential in a network of anxiety and depression symptoms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: Each person possesses a unique view surrounding depressive symptomology and etiology that is shaped by idiosyncratic experiences. However, the influence that subjective etiological beliefs regarding a person's depressive symptoms have on actual symptom presentation and organization is seldom considered. Methods: The current study employed network analytic techniques to examine how subjective views surrounding the cause of depressive symptoms altered actual symptom presentation networks. Additionally, the interaction between depressive symptoms and various etiological beliefs was examined. Results: The results revealed that characterological beliefs, representing the idea that depression is caused by an internal sense of self, are strongly connected to a negative view of self, as well as a saddened mood. Additionally, the characterological beliefs node exhibited the greatest node predictability in its respective network, as well as in an omnibus network consisting of all depression symptoms and potential etiological beliefs. Whereas an achievement‐based view of depression has a strong connection with concentration difficulties, a physical view of depression tends to form strong connections with physically based depressive symptoms. Conclusion: Subjective views regarding the cause of depression have the potential to influence symptom presentation and organization within a network, which may influence a person's willingness to engage in treatment or specific treatment preferences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Major depressive disorder (MDD) is conceptualized by individual symptoms occurring most of the day for at least two weeks. Despite this operationalization, MDD is highly variable with persons showing greater variation within and across days. Moreover, MDD is highly heterogeneous, varying considerably across people in both function and form. Recent efforts have examined MDD heterogeneity byinvestigating how symptoms influence one another over time across individuals in a system; however, these efforts have assumed that symptom dynamics are static and do not dynamically change over time. Nevertheless, it is possible that individual MDD system dynamics change continuously across time. Participants (N = 105) completed ratings of MDD symptoms three times a day for 90 days, and we conducted time varying vector autoregressive models to investigate the idiographic symptom networks. We then illustrated this finding with a case series of five persons with MDD. Supporting prior research, results indicate there is high heterogeneity across persons as individual network composition is unique from person to person. In addition, for most persons, individual symptom networks change dramatically across the 90 days, as evidenced by 86% of individuals experiencing at least one change in their most influential symptom and the median number of shifts being 3 over the 90 days. Additionally, most individuals had at least one symptom that acted as both the most and least influential symptom at any given point over the 90-day period. Our findings offer further insight into short-term symptom dynamics, suggesting that MDD is heterogeneous both across and within persons over time. General Scientific Summary: In the current study, we conducted a case series on five individuals with current major depressive disorder (MDD) who responded to a depression questionnaire three times a day and used a time-series methodology to determine, for each person, how each of the symptoms changed and influenced each other over the course of 90 days. Our findings indicate that MDD is not only heterogeneous in its manifestation between persons but can also be highly variable in presentation within an individual over time. As such, individuals with MDD who experience a more variable symptom presentation may benefit from personalized, time-sensitive clinical interventions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Components of rumination, including brooding and reflection, as well as devaluating prospective positivity, may help maintain depressive symptoms. We examined these components together for the first time using network analysis. Methods: We examined the robustness of rumination communities of closely related items in one network and then examined the interrelationships between rumination communities, devaluation of positivity, and depression, in a second network. Results: Three rumination communities emerged, replicating findings of Bernstein et al. (2019). Within a dense network, nodes representing brooding, reflective pondering, and difficulty trusting positive feelings were most influential. In addition, the node representing the depressive symptom negative self‐views shared strong edges with nodes representing devaluation of positivity and brooding. Conclusion: Brooding, reflective pondering, and elements of devaluing positivity are influential to depressive symptoms and may be important future experimental and therapeutic targets. Depressed individuals with negative self‐views may engage in brooding and devalue their experience of positivity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reward Devaluation Theory suggests that devaluation of positivity may be integral in understanding depression (Winer & Salem, 2016). Specifically, the anticipatory (e.g., fear of happiness) and responsive (e.g., dampening) behaviors related to the processing of positivity may play a role in the development and maintenance of depression. The goal of this study was to examine the potential overlap between measures that operationalize positivity avoidance, two Fear of Happiness Scales (Gilbert et al., 2012; Joshanloo, 2013), as well as positivity dampening, measured via the dampening subscale of the Responses to Positive Affect Questionnaire (Feldman et al., 2008). Network and community analyses were employed to examine the extent to which the items of these measures clustered into their parent measures and investigate the dynamic interactions between items. The results of the community analysis revealed that the three self-report measures overall clustered into their parent measures, except for the Gilbert et al. (2012) Fear of Happiness Scale, which clustered into two separate communities. The most influential nodes represented the concept that good feelings are often followed by negative outcomes. Additionally, nodes related to the theme of fear of letting oneself become happy emerged as the strongest bridge nodes. One limitation of this study is the use of a cross-sectional design; thus, causality cannot be inferred, but the results can guide future longitudinal network designs. These findings demonstrate how anticipatory avoidance and responsive dampening may influence depression, thus providing evidence for unique targets for treatment. • Anticipatory and responsive positivity diminishment strategies occur in depression. • Fear of happiness and dampening were examined via network and community analysis. • Fear of happiness and dampening scales clustered into separate communities. • The theme negative outcomes follow good feelings emerged as the most influential. • The most influential devaluative behaviors may be good targets for future treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]