Anxiety and depression symptoms among older Chinese migrants during COVID-19: a network analysis

Abstract

Abstract Background: With the development of an aging society, the mental health of the elderly has become a subject of public health research. In China, many elderly people leave their hometowns due to family conditions, and there are few research topics on the mental health of these elderly people. Anxiety and depression are common psychological problems in elderly individuals. Therefore, in view of the mental health problems of older migrants, this study investigated the network structure of anxiety and depression symptoms in older migrants in our country and determined the central symptoms and bridge symptoms, which provide key symptoms to ensure the mental health of older migrants in our country and further prevent anxiety and depression problems in older migrants. Methods: To understand the symptoms of depression and anxiety in older Chinese migrants, 469 older migrants were investigated. Depressive symptoms were measured using the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9), and anxiety symptoms were measured using the Anxiety Scale in the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Questionnaire (HADS-A). Build networks with network analysis. In network analysis, a Gaussian graph model is used to construct an undirected network with a partial correlation coefficient, in which the nodes connected by edges are connected. Nodes represent symptoms, the thickness of the edges connecting nodes represents tightness, and the closer the node is to the middle, the more critical the node is. Results: The strongest inverse edge connections in the network were for "Relax" in anxiety and "Motor" in depression, and the strongest edges were concentrated in symptoms on the anxiety scale, including "Restless" and "Intense fear", "Tension" and "Fear," and "Butterflies in the stomach" and "restless." It was also revealed that the bridge symptoms in the network were "Relax" and "Restless" in anxiety and "Guilt" in depressive symptoms. Central symptoms in the network include "Restless", "Relax" and "Fear" in anxiety and "Guilt" in depression. Conclusions:The anxiety symptoms of "restlessness" and "relax" have a great impact on the mental health network of migrant elders. Future intervention and prevention targets could focus on anxiety symptoms in older migrants.