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 Am, Renken RJ, ) Romantic relationship separation: An experimental design to review aftereffects of strain on anxiety (-like) attacks. PLoS One fourteen(5): e0217320.
Partnership separation: A fresh model to analyze results of strain on depression (-like) episodes
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Funding: The study was funded by the a donation out-of Mr Hazewinkel so you can the study University out of Behavioral and Intellectual Neurosciences and you will Prof G.J. ter Horst. Mr Hazewinkel didn’t come with part in studies construction, studies range and analysis, choice to share, or thinking of one’s manuscript.
Introduction
Stressful lifestyle-situations are thought as risk facts on the development of despair. Kendler ainsi que al. examined brand new interplay between tiring events, genetic predisposition and depression among women twins and found you to both heredity and you will thickness from exhausting incidents triggered the onset of depressive periods independently. Especially situations with high effect, like loss of an Brighton best hookup apps almost relative and you can divorce, raised the possibilities of developing an excellent depressive event, even though the majority of people do not produce a good depressive occurrence after the exposure to an upsetting skills. And this, lookup focusing on stressful and mentally hurtful incidents will offer beneficial knowledge toward individual variations out-of fret-related dealing therefore the outcomes of be concerned and you may anxiety.
