Network Analysis of Prolonged Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and Depression in Serbian War Veterans: The Role of Bridge Symptoms.

Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is often comorbid with depression in both the general population and among veterans who have experienced combat trauma. However, there is a lack of studies inquiring into the comorbidity of prolonged PTSD and depression. The network paradigm offers a novel approach to studying this comorbidity via bridge symptom analysis. This study explores the bridge symptoms between depression and prolonged/chronic PTSD in patients diagnosed with both conditions, 10 years after trauma exposure, using network analysis. The sample consisted of 60 male, treatment-seeking veterans (aged 31 to 59) with diagnoses of both depression and PTSD. Bridge nodes detected in the present bridge symptom analysis include reduced sleep, inner tension, poor concentration/concentration difficulties, pessimistic and suicidal thoughts, distressing dreams, restricted range of affects, and agitation. The detected bridge nodes could partially be attributed to the characteristics of the sample, which consisted of patients diagnosed with PTSD comorbid with depression.