The interplay between emotional distress, psychological well-being and resilience in a sample of Saudi adults living with osteoporosis: a psychological network analysis

Living with osteoporosis presents many challenges, including physical and psychological problems. Anxiety and depression are among the most common symptoms reported among people with osteoporosis. On the other hand, psychological well-being and resilience are among the best psychological resources for people with osteoporosis. However, people may be sensitive to different symptoms and traits, and there is little research on which symptoms and traits are relevant to this population. This study aimed to use network analysis to examine the interplay between emotional distress symptoms, psychological well-being, and resilience traits in a sample of Saudi adults living with osteoporosis. A sample of 634 Saudi adults with osteoporosis (mean age = 50.6 years, SD = 5.88, range = 39–84, 64.67% men) were included. Several scales were used for data collection, including the Generalized Anxiety Disorder Screener (GAD-7), the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9), the Brief Resilience Scale, the Ruminative Responses Scale, and the Brief Version of the Ryff Psychological Well-Being Scale, as well as sample sociodemographic characteristics. Network analysis was used to identify central nodes and bridging nodes. Approximately 65% of the sample scored above the pre-specified PHQ-9 screening threshold of 10, and 53.47% scored above the pre-specified GAD-7 screening threshold of 10. The network showed that not being able to snap back when things go wrong and the fear that something awful might happen were the most central nodes on the basis of expected influence centrality. Most importantly, self-acceptance and thoughts of death or self-harm showed the highest bridge strength, while several depression, anxiety, rumination, and resilience nodes showed high bridge expected influence. This network study identified important central and bridge symptoms that may be particularly relevant to understanding the interrelationships among psychological symptoms and resources in people living with osteoporosis. Not applicable.