Hopkins, Ella GLeman, Patrick JCervin, MattiNumbers, KatyaBrodaty, HenrySachdev, Perminder SMedvedev, Oleg N2025-12-012025-12-012026Hopkins, E. G., Leman, P., Cervin, M., Numbers, K., Brodaty, H., Sachdev, P. S., & Medvedev, O. N. (2026). Network of positive affect and depression in older adults. Journal of Affective Disorders, 394(B), 120529-120529. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2025.1205290165-0327https://hdl.handle.net/10289/17797Background Depression in older adults poses significant health challenges, yet the protective role of positive affect remains understudied. This research examined the complex network of positive affect and depression in older adults using advanced network analysis techniques to identify potential targets for intervention. Methods Bayesian Gaussian Graphical Models and Directed Acyclic Graph modelling were used to analyse associations between ten positive affect variables and depression. Exploratory and confirmatory network analyses ensured stability and node predictability quantified variable influence. Stepwise linear regression confirmed whether specific positive affective variables identified in the networks predicted lower depression scores. Results Enthusiasm emerged as a key ancestral node with the highest predictability (R2 = 0.65), initiating cascades of positive affect. A primary pathway to depression was identified through feeling active (strength = 1.00, direction = 0.79), with an indirect pathway from feeling enthusiastic via active (strength = 0.98, direction = 0.79) to depression (strength = 1.00, direction = 0.79). Confirmatory longitudinal analysis showed that feeling active and enthusiastic consistently predicted lower depression scores (p < 0.001). The network structure remained stable across analyses. Conclusions Enthusiasm was identified as a central catalyst in the positive affect network, revealing clear pathways through which positive affect may protect against depression in older adults. Enhancing enthusiastic and active emotional experiences emerged as potential effective, nonpharmacological strategies for preventing and treating depression in older adults.enAttribution 4.0 Internationalhttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/Journal Article10.1016/j.jad.2025.12052932 Biomedical and Clinical Sciences3202 Clinical Sciences42 Health Sciences52 Psychology32 Biomedical and clinical sciences42 Health sciences52 Psychology