Exploratory and Confirmatory Bayesian Networks Identify the Central Role of Non-judging in Symptoms of Depression

Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing).

Research investigating changes in mindfulness during MBIs for depression generally shows moderate increases in mindfulness across all facets.

“Research investigating changes in mindfulness during MBIs for depression, generally shows moderate increases in mindfulness across all facets (Gu et al., 2016; Takahashi et al., 2019).”

• cites Gu et al., 2016Not matched

  Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.

• cites Takahashi et al., 2019 sourceDisputed

  The Results ('Changes in process variables') report significant increases in observing and nonreactivity, with nonjudging increasing by follow-up, but no significant change in describing or acting with awareness. The Discussion explicitly says the findings support increases in only some aspects of mindfulness, contrary to the claim of increases across all facets. (LLM, conf=0.90)

  Checked by a reasoning model — may be wrong.

  Experimental — accuracy not yet measured

Classified as probably not a substantial claim.

Uniform treatment approaches may be misguided because of heterogeneity in depression symptom profiles.

“suggesting that uniform treatment approaches may be misguided (Fried & Nesse, 2015).”

• cites Fried & Nesse, 2015 sourceSupported
  Experimental — accuracy not yet measured

Classified as probably not a substantial claim. May combine two claims.

Network analysis is an item-level approach that evaluates individual features of a construct rather than aggregate mean level, and has become an important tool for psychopathology research including depression.

“Network analysis—an item-level approach that evaluates individual features of a construct instead of their aggregate (i.e., mean level) has grown in popularity and has become an important tool for psychopathology research, including depression (Bringmann et al., 2015).”

• cites Bringmann et al., 2015 sourcePartly supported

  The Introduction (p. 2) contrasts the network approach’s focus on relations between individual symptoms with a focus on mean symptom levels, and the Conclusion (p. 2) describes its value for depression research. The paper does not establish that network analysis had grown in popularity or had already become an important tool across psychopathology research; it describes the approach as recently developed. (LLM, conf=0.83)

  Experimental — accuracy not yet measured

Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing).

Mindfulness training leads to greater dispositional mindfulness.

“Moreover, mindfulness training leads to greater dispositional mindfulness (Kiken et al., 2015).”

• cites Kiken et al., 2015 sourcePartly supported

  The Discussion reports that participants with greater increases in state mindfulness during the intervention also increased more in trait mindfulness. But it says the study design did not permit true causal conclusions, so the claim that training *leads to* greater dispositional mindfulness is stronger than the evidence supports. Page numbers were not provided. (LLM, conf=0.88)

  Experimental — accuracy not yet measured

May combine two claims.

Addressing individual symptoms of depression is valuable because symptom profiles vary widely and heterogeneity can lead to misleading conclusions about interrelationships among constructs.

“There is significant value in addressing individual symptoms of depression because of the wide range of different symptom profiles for depression, where heterogeneity among individuals can lead to misleading conclusions about the interrelationships among constructs (Fried & Nesse, 2015).”

• cites Fried & Nesse, 2015 sourceSupported

Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing).

Meta-analyses of specific manualized mindfulness-based interventions show moderate reductions in depressive symptoms.

“Meta-analyses of specific, manualized mindfulness based interventions (MBIs) such as mindfulness-based cognitive therapy and mindfulness-based stress reduction have shown moderate reductions in symptoms of depression (Chi et al., 2018; Galante et al., 2013).”

• cites Chi et al., 2018 sourceSupported
• cites Galante et al., 2013 sourceSupported

Classified as probably not a substantial claim. May combine two claims.

Depression is heterogeneous, with symptom profiles differing widely between individuals.

“Depression is a heterogeneous psychological concern (Zimmerman et al., 2015), with symptom profiles differing widely between individuals”

• Also stated in: § Discussion · plain

  “Prior work has highlighted the heterogeneity of depression symptoms (Fried & Nesse, 2015).”

• cites Zimmerman et al., 2015 sourceNot checked — no full text of the source
• cites Fried & Nesse, 2015 sourceSupported

May combine two claims.

Medvedev et al. (2021) found a strong inverse association between non-judgment and emotional distress, but did not examine specific depression symptoms.

“using network analyses, Medvedev et al. (2021) found a strong inverse association between the mindfulness facet of non-judgment and emotional distress; however, specific symptoms of depression were not examined.”

• cites Medvedev et al., 2021 sourceSupported

Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing).

Network perspective can provide insight into complex interrelations between different features of mindfulness cross-sectionally and before and after an intervention.

“The network perspective can also provide insight into complex interrelations between different features of mindfulness cross-sectionally (Heeren et al., 2021) as well as before and after an intervention (mindfulness-based stress reduction; Roca et al., 2019).”

• cites Heeren et al., 2021 sourceSupported
• cites Roca et al., 2019 sourceSupported

May combine two claims.

The PHQ-8 showed robust evidence in favor of the hypothesis, while evidence for bridge centrality of non-judging with DASS-21 was much weaker.

“While the PHQ-8 showed robust evidence in favor of the hypothesis, the evidence supporting the bridge centrality of non-judging when assessing depression using the DASS-21 subscale was much weaker.”

May combine two claims.

In sample 1, the describe facet had a bridge centrality of 0.143 and a positive association with the symptom 'Poor appetite or overeating?'

“Unexpectedly, we also found that the describe facet had a bridge centrality of 0.143 with a positive association with a “Poor appetite or overeating?””

May combine two claims.

Comparing samples 2 and 3, there were no meaningful differences in edge strength between non-judging and DASS-21 depression subscale; of 66 total associations, only 2 (3%) were meaningfully different.

“In comparing samples 2 and 3, there were no meaningful differences in edge strength between non-judging and the DASS-21 depression subscale; of the 66 total associations in the network, only 2 (3%) had meaningfully different associations.”

May combine two claims.

Comparing sample 1 and sample 3, there were no meaningful differences in edge strength between non-judging and PHQ-8 depressive symptoms; of 78 total edges, only 6 (8%) were different.

“In comparing sample 1 and sample 3, there were no meaningful differences in edge strength between non-judging and symptoms of depression measured by the PHQ-8; of the 78 total edges of which only 6 (8%) were different.”

May combine two claims.

This primary hypothesis was preregistered, new data were collected, and the hypothesis was confirmed in a subsequent network analysis.

“We then preregistered this primary hypothesis (along with several secondary ones), collected new data, and confirmed this hypothesis in a subsequent network analysis.”

May combine two claims.

Comparing association strengths between networks, individual associations remained similar, but there was substantial variability such that evidence for specific differences in magnitude was inconclusive.

“We did demonstrate that in comparing association strengths between networks, individual associations remained similar. However, there was substantial variability in association strengths such that the evidence to support specific differences in magnitude between associations was inconclusive.”

May combine two claims.

Few differences were identified in comparing the networks, suggesting that associations remained relatively stable even across cross-sectional samples.

“It is worth noting that we identified few differences in comparing the networks, suggesting that associations remained relatively stable even across cross-sectional samples (as has been found by other researchers, for instance in the context of post-traumatic stress disorder, Duek et al., 2021).”

• cites Duek et al., 2021 sourceNot checked — no full text of the source

May combine two claims.

In sample 1, non-judging had a bridge centrality of 0.339 and awareness had a bridge centrality of 0.313, both negatively associated with depressive symptoms.

“The non-judging facet had a bridge centrality of 0.339, and the awareness facet had a bridge centrality of 0.313, with negative associations to symptoms of depression.”

May combine two claims.

In sample 2, awareness was linked to the symptom 'I found it difficult to work up the initiative to do things' but was not central to the network.

“While awareness was linked to the symptom of depression “I found it difficult to work up the initiative to do things”, the facet was not found to be central to the network.”

Classified as probably not a substantial claim.

The relationship between different facets of mindfulness and symptoms of depression varies.

“the relationship between different facets of mindfulness and symptoms of depression varies (Medvedev et al., 2018).”

• cites Medvedev et al., 2018 sourceNot checked — no full text of the source

Classified as probably not a substantial claim.

Mindfulness is considered a multi-dimensional construct.

“Mindfulness is considered a multi-dimensional construct (Baer, 2011)”

• cites Baer, 2011 sourceNot checked — no full text of the source

Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing).

Greater self-reported dispositional mindfulness is associated with fewer depressive symptoms in both clinical and non-clinical samples.

“The relationship between dispositional mindfulness and depression has been relatively well established, with greater self-reported mindfulness associated with fewer symptoms of depression in both clinical (Gu et al., 2016) and non-clinical (Medvedev et al., 2018) samples.”

• cites Gu et al., 2016Not matched

  Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.

• cites Medvedev et al., 2018 sourceNot checked — no full text of the source

Classified as probably not a substantial claim.

Mindfulness can be measured through self-report as a trait.

“there is evidence that mindfulness can be measured through self-report as a trait (Truong et al., 2020), rather than reflecting only the state of mindfulness.”

• cites Truong et al., 2020 sourceNot checked — no full text of the source

Classified as probably not a substantial claim.

From two exploratory analyses, the data-derived hypothesis was developed that non-judging serves as the most central bridge between mindfulness and depression when controlling for all other associations.

“From two exploratory analyses, we developed the data-derived hypothesis that non-judging serves as the most central bridge between mindfulness and depression when controlling for all other associations.”

Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing).

Non-judging has been shown to mediate the relationship between self-criticism and depression.

“In the context of mindfulness, the facet of non-judging has been shown to mediate the relationship between self-criticism and depression (Rohde et al., 2014).”

• cites Rohde et al., 2014 sourceNot checked — no full text of the source

Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing). May combine two claims.

Data were collected during the COVID-19 pandemic, and it is possible that COVID-19-related experiences influenced the network structure, but this was not addressed in analyses.

“Of further note, these data were collected during the COVID-19 pandemic. It is possible that there were meaningful influences in COVID-19-related experiences (such as a loss due to COVID-19) that may have impacted the network structure. While we did not address the influence of the pandemic within the analyses, we do summarize some relevant data in Table 1.”

Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing).

The presence or absence of a concentration symptom may explain why the awareness facet was only central for the PHQ-8 network.

“in particular, the presence/absence of a concentration symptom may explain why the awareness facet was only central for the PHQ-8 network.”

Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing). May combine two claims.

In sample 3, participants completed two different measures of depression within the same survey, which may lead to common methods bias.

“Additionally, in sample 3, participants completed two different measures of depression within the same survey, which may lead to a “common methods bias” where responses to one questionnaire influenced responses to the other questionnaire (Podsakoff et al., 2012).”

• cites Podsakoff et al., 2012 sourceNot checked — no full text of the source

Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing).

Self-criticism has long been considered a central feature of depression.

“Self-criticism has long been considered a central feature of depression (Beck, 1964).”

• cites Beck, 1964 sourceNot checked — no full text of the source

May combine two claims.

A large proportion of sample 3 data (35%) was collected from MTURK, and quality of MTURK data has become increasingly poor since 2018, limiting conclusions.

“Also, a large proportion of sample 3 data (35%) was collected from MTURK. While we used attention checks and an open-ended response item to reduce the incidence of “bots,” automated, or inattentive responding, there is growing concern that the quality of MTURK data has become increasingly poor since 2018 (Chmielewski & Kucker, 2020), which limits the conclusions we can draw.”

• cites Chmielewski & Kucker, 2020 sourceNot checked — no full text of the source

Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing).

The pre-registered confirmatory Bayesian network approach addresses some but not all limitations of network analysis.

“Our pre-registered confirmatory Bayesian network approach addresses some but not all the limitations of network analysis.”

May combine two claims.

The Bayesian network approach does not remedy psychometric inadequacies such as low internal reliability of the observe facet nor does it account for construct validity of measures.

“The Bayesian network approach does not remedy psychometric inadequacies such as the low internal reliability of the observe facet nor does it take into account the construct validity of the measures (Epskamp, et al., 2017a, 2017b; Hallquist et al., 2019).”

• cites Epskamp, et al., 2017a, 2017bNot matched

  Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.

• cites Hallquist et al., 2019Not matched

  Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.

Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing).

One potential interpretation is that the PHQ-8 and DASS-21 depression subscale measure depression in somewhat different ways.

“One potential interpretation may be that the PHQ-8 and DASS-21 depression subscale measure depression in somewhat different ways.”

Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing). May combine two claims.

The study has limitations including moderate sample size and majority undergraduate participants.

“The study has several limitations, including the moderate sample size and that the majority of participants were undergraduate students.”

Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing).

Lack of information regarding meditation experience in the samples is a limitation.

“our lack of information regarding meditation experience in our samples is a limitation that should be considered in future research.”

Classified as probably not a substantial claim. May combine two claims.

The PHQ was developed as a brief screening assessment tool for depression, whereas the DASS was developed as an integrated measure of negative affect, though its depression measurement is distinct.

“The PHQ was specifically developed as a brief screening assessment tool for depression (Kroenke et al., 2009), whereas the DASS was developed as an integrated measure of negative affect, although the measurement of depression within the scale is distinct from the other scales (Henry & Crawford, 2005).”

• cites Kroenke et al., 2009 sourceNot checked — no full text of the source
• cites Henry & Crawford, 2005 sourceNot checked — no full text of the source

Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing).

The syntax, data, and replication preregistration for sample 3 are available.

“The syntax, data, and the replication preregistration for sample 3 are available at (https://osf.io/hvzrd/).”

Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing). May combine two claims.

Attention check questions were included and participants who answered any incorrectly were excluded from further participation.

“Several attention check questions were included in the survey, and participants who answered any of these incorrectly were excluded from further participation.”

May combine two claims.

Internal reliability of some mindfulness subscales was fairly low, which may have impacted findings.

“Additionally, the internal reliability of some of the mindfulness subscales was fairly low, which may have impacted our findings.”

May combine two claims.

These findings provide further evidence for the importance of non-judging in the context of depression and links to specific symptoms reflecting heightened self-criticism (e.g., feelings of failure or worthlessness).

“These findings provide further evidence for the importance of non-judging in the context of depression as well as links to specific symptoms reflecting heightened self-criticism (e.g., feelings of failure or worthlessness).”