Network analysis model investigating the relationship between social support and depression symptoms in pregnant women based on personality differences

Previous studies have shown that social support has an impact on depression symptoms. However, the relationship between these internal symptoms in pregnant women remain underexplored. This study employed network analysis to investigate the network characteristics of various subsets of social support and depression symptoms among pregnant women with different personality traits. Basic information about 2033 pregnant women at a maternal and child healthcare hospital in Ningxia from January 2020 to December 2021 was collected. The Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) and Social Support Rating Scale (SSRS) were used for assessment. The results showed that in terms of social support, pregnant women with extroverted personalities scored higher than (41.17 ± 5.925) those with neutral (40.30 ± 5.445) and introverted personalities (38.76 ± 6.064). Regarding depression symptoms, pregnant women with introverted personalities scored higher (6.05 ± 3.922) compared to those with neutral (5.95 ± 4.032) and extroverted personalities (5.12 ± 3.879). Network analysis revealed that PHQ-9 and SSRS5-1 nodes were identified as core nodes across all three personality traits. However, there were differences in the core nodes of depression symptoms among the three personality traits: PHQ-2 was the core node for extroverted personalities, while PHQ-6 was the core node for introverted and neutral personalities. Additionally, in the network of women with introverted and neutral personalities, PHQ-9 and SSRS5-1 served as bridging symptoms connecting social support and depression symptoms, whereas no bridging symptoms were found for those with extroverted personalities. Overall, pregnant women with different personality traits exhibit variations in core nodes and bridging symptoms of social support and depression. Depression symptoms in individuals with introverted and neutral personalities are more susceptible to the influence of intimate support, whereas this effect is less pronounced in individuals with extroverted personalities. Therefore, it is important to consider personality differences when understanding the relationship between social support and depression symptoms.