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The Association between Economic Status and Depressive Symptoms: An Individual and Community Level Approach

I know that "the" implies a particular association that is between "economic status" and "depressive symptoms".

But, what if I remove "the" before association? Like below:

Association between Economic Status and Depressive Symptoms: An Individual and Community Level Approach

There is still a sense of a 'particular association' that is between economic status and depressive symptoms. So, what is the need of using "the"?

Link - https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3182383

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    In English, countable nouns (here, association) require the, a or plural, unless it is a newspaper title. You can't say: Banana is tasty. You have to say: Bananas are tasty. OR: The banana is an interesting fruit. OR A banana is a good breakfast food.
    – Lambie
    Commented Oct 25, 2023 at 14:11

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The actual version of the title—with the initial definite article—implies that there is one single, particular association between economic status and symptoms of depression, and that it is that association that constitutes the entitled article’s subject.

Omitting the article would instead be appropriate if the title applied to a discussion of however many such associations there might be. Or, with a significantly different sense, a discussion of way(s) in which economic status associates with symptoms of depression (whatever that might mean).

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