Romantic relationship breakup: An experimental design to review effects of stress on depression (-like) periods

Romantic relationship breakup: An experimental design to review effects of stress on depression (-like) periods

The occurrence of a stressful event is considered to increase the risk of developing depression. In the present study we explore whether the breakup of a romantic relationship can be used as an experimental model to study a depression-like state during a period of stress in individuals without a psychiatric disorder. The primary aim of our study was to investigate: 1) whether individuals with a recent romantic relationship breakup (‘‘heartbreak”) demonstrate symptoms of depression, 2) how to describe heartbreak characteristics based on data from a comprehensive questionnaire battery, and 3) whether this description can capture severity of depression symptoms. Secondary, we were interested in gender differences with regard to the above study objectives. Subjects who have experienced a relationship breakup in the preceding six months (N = 71) or are in a romantic relationship (N = 46) participated in our study. A questionnaire battery was administered to acquire information related to depression, mood, the breakup and (former) relationship. Principal Component Analysis with Procrustes bootstrapping was performed to extract components from the questionnaire data. Even though our sample of individuals who recently have experienced a relationship breakup can be on average considered non-depressed, group-level depression scores were elevated compared to individuals in a relationship (p = .001) and 26.8% reported symptoms corresponding to mild, moderate or severe depression. We described heartbreak by two principal components interpreted as ‘‘sudden loss” and ‘‘lack of positive affect”, respectively. Highly significant correlations between the component scores and depression scores were found (p < .001 and p < .001, respectively), although these correlations differed between the genders. Based on these findings, we propose that the experience of a romantic relationship breakup is a viable experimental model to examine symptoms of depression in individuals without a psychiatric disorder. This way, stress-related coping and depression vulnerability can be studied in further research.

Citation: Verhallen Are, Renken RJ, ) Connection breakup: An experimental design to analyze negative effects of stress on despair (-like) episodes. PLoS That fourteen(5): e0217320.

Copyright: © 2019 Verhallen mais aussi al. This will be an open availability blog post delivered underneath the terms of the newest Imaginative Commons Attribution Licenses, and this permits open-ended have fun with, distribution, and you can breeding in just about any average, considering the first writer and you can resource are paid.

Partnership break www.datingranking.net/nl/only-lads-overzicht/ up: A fresh design to review results of strain on despair (-like) attacks

Data Availableness: The info are not held at the a community repository owed so you’re able to restrictions in the informed concur (subjects haven’t offered accept to possess the studies in public stored) and you can Eu analysis privacy legislation (GDPR). The information and knowledge arrive on the request. A document availability panel might have been applied, comprising Prof G.J. ter Horst (Principal Detective of one’s data), J.B.C. Marsman and you may Prof Good. Aleman (head of one’s Cognitive Neuroscience Cardio), who will review needs and you may assuring entry to of your own research. It access committee should be reached thru

Funding: The research are funded because of the a donation away from Mr Hazewinkel to the analysis College from Behavioural and you may Intellectual Neurosciences and you can Prof Grams.J. ter Horst. Mr Hazewinkel had no role during the research framework, studies range and you may analysis, decision to publish, otherwise preparation of the manuscript.

Introduction

Stressful lifestyle-events are considered getting chance things toward growth of anxiety. Kendler mais aussi al. examined the fresh new interplay between tiring events, genetic predisposition and you can despair one of female twins and found one both inheritance and you can occurrence out of exhausting events contributed to the latest onset of depressive episodes individually. Especially events with a high feeling, such as for example loss of an almost relative and you may breakup, increased the probability of development an excellent depressive event, while the most of people do not create an effective depressive event pursuing the contact with a distressing feel. And this, search concentrating on tiring and emotionally upsetting occurrences can give valuable insights with the private distinctions of worry-related coping while the link between be concerned and anxiety.

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