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The network approach to psychopathology: a review of the literature 2008–2018 and an agenda for future research
Open accessAbstract
The network approach to psychopathology posits that mental disorders can be conceptualized and studied as causal systems of mutually reinforcing symptoms. This approach, first posited in 2008, has grown substantially over the past decade and is now a full-fledged area of psychiatric research. In this article, we provide an overview and critical analysis of 363 articles produced in the first decade of this research program, with a focus on key theoretical, methodological, and empirical contributions. In addition, we turn our attention to the next decade of the network approach and propose critical avenues for future research in each of these domains. We argue that this program of research will be best served by working toward two overarching aims: (a) the identification of robust empirical phenomena and (b) the development of formal theories that can explain those phenomena. We recommend specific steps forward within this broad framework and argue that these steps are necessary if the network approach is to develop into a progressive program of research capable of producing a cumulative body of knowledge about how specific mental disorders operate as causal systems.
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“The network approach, a relatively novel research method to explore various relationships across symptoms, has been widely applied in psychopathological and clinical psychiatric fields [ 32 , 33 ].”
From Anxiety and Depression Symptoms among Youth Survivors of Childhood Sexual Abuse: A Network Analysis (2023) · cites this paper as [33]
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Metadata
- Authors
- Robinaugh, D. J., Hoekstra, R. H. A., Toner, E. R., & Borsboom, D.
- Affiliations
- Harvard University (US)
- University of Amsterdam (NL)
- Massachusetts General Hospital (US)
- Corresponding author
- Robinaugh, Donald J.
- Venue
- Psychological Medicine
- Publisher
- Cambridge University Press (CUP)
- Published
- 2019-12-26
- Volume
- 50
- Issue
- 3
- Pages
- 353-366
- ISSN
- 0033-2917 (ISSN-L)
- 1469-8978
- PMC
- PMC7334828
- OpenAlex
- W2998636967
- Cited by
- 861
- References
- 190
- Citations by year
- 2026: 202 · 2025: 162 · 2024: 128 · 2023: 104 · 2022: 98 · 2021: 125 · 2020: 41 · 2019: 1
- FWCI
- 9.89
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- green
- www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
- Locations
- Psychological Medicine (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
- UvA-DARE (University of Amsterdam) (submittedVersion)
- Data Archiving and Networked Services (DANS) (submittedVersion)
- Funders
- Nederlandse Organisatie voor Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek (406.18.532)
- National Institute of Mental Health (K23MH113805)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Mental Health Research Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Anxiety, Depression, Psychometrics, Treatment, Cognitive Processes
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Personality Disorders and Psychopathology
- Keywords
- mental illness, symptom networks
- MeSH terms
- Mental Disorders, Humans, Models, Psychological, Psychopathology, Research
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