Gender differences in the relationship between cognitive function and symptoms in patients with depression:A network analysis study
10.3969/j.issn.1002-0152.2025.09.004
- VernacularTitle:抑郁症患者抑郁症状与认知功能关系的性别差异网络分析研究
- Author:
Chenxia SONG
1
;
Yuqin HAN
1
;
Anzhen WANG
1
;
Yingying JIANG
1
;
Min LIU
1
;
Shuai ZHAO
1
Author Information
1. 安徽医科大学附属心理医院,安徽省精神卫生中心,合肥市第四人民医院,安徽省精神心理疾病临床研究中心 (合肥 230031)
- Publication Type:Journal Article
- Keywords:
Neuropsychology;
Depression;
Depressive symptoms;
Cognitive function;
Gender differences;
Net-work analysis;
Bridging symptoms
- From:
Chinese Journal of Nervous and Mental Diseases
2025;51(9):535-541
- CountryChina
- Language:Chinese
-
Abstract:
Objective To explore the gender differences in the relationship between depressive symptoms and cognitive functions in patients with depression.Methods From January 2021 to June 2024,375 patients meeting the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders,Fifth Edition(DSM-5)criteria for depression were selected by convenience sampling from the Affiliated Psychological Hospital of Anhui Medical University.Depressive symptom severity was assessed using the 24-item Hamilton depression scale(HAMD-24),while cognitive function was evaluated using a series of neuropsychological assessment tools,including the trail making test,logical memory,figure memory,digit symbol substitution test,digit span backward,and Wisconsin card sorting test.Network analysis was performed using R software to examine the relationships between symptoms and cognitive function.Results The core symptom factors and core cognitive domains for male depressive patients are sleep disturbances(strength=1.253)and information processing speed(strength=1.605),respectively;In contrast,female patients exhiboted emotional stagnation(strength=1.322)and working memory(strength=1.289).Sleep disturbances and emotional stagnation were the bridging nodes(bridge strength=1.253 and 1.322)for male and female patients,respectively.The correlation stability(CS)coefficients for the node strength centrality in male and female patient groups were 0.514 and 0.515,respectively,both exceeding threshold of 0.25,indicating good network stability.There were no significant differences between genders in terms of global network strength(male vs.female:2.22 vs.4.87;P=0.356)and edge weight distribution(P=0.293).Conclusion The network relationships between depressive symptoms and cognitive function in depression patients show significant gender differences.Sleep disturbance and information processing speed play central roles in males,whereas emotional retardation and working memory impairment are core features in females.These findings provide a theoretical basis for developing gender-specific intervention strategies.
