Abstract
BACKGROUND: Depression rates are significantly higher in high-altitude regions, making it important to understand its underlying mechanisms. Time perspective, which refers to how individuals perceive their past, present, and future, is closely linked to depression in low-altitude areas. However, its relationship with depression in high-altitude regions remains unclear. METHODS: A cross-sectional survey was conducted with 4942 young male workers from high-altitude regions. The association between time perspectives and depressive symptoms were examined by univariate and multivariate analyses. Network analysis was employed to identify central symptoms and their interactions, and to compare the differences between individuals with and without depression. RESULTS: The study identified that elevated past negative (PN), reduced past positive (PP), increased present fatalistic (PF) and present hedonistic (PH) orientations, and lower future (F) were significant risk factors for depressive symptoms in plateau populations. In the network structure of the depression group, PN, PF, PH, SDS18 "emptiness", and SDS13 "psychomotor agitation" were key elements influencing depressive symptoms and the strongest edge was F-PP. Significant differences were detected between the depressive and non-depressive groups, with the depressive group demonstrating significantly greater global strength invariance and a more robust network invariance. CONCLUSIONS: Abnormal time perspectives, especially PN, PF and PH were strongly associated with depression in high-altitude environments, and the strong connection between F-PP provides a potential intervention target. Future research should further explore the causal relationship.