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 Have always been, Renken RJ, ) bookofsex-dating-apps Partnership separation: A fresh design to learn outcomes of strain on anxiety (-like) periods. PLoS That fourteen(5): e0217320.
Copyright: © 2019 Verhallen mais aussi al. This is exactly an unbarred accessibility article distributed in terms of the new Creative Commons Attribution Licenses, and that it allows open-ended have fun with, shipment, and you will breeding in every medium, provided the first journalist and you will source are credited.
Partnership separation: An experimental design to learn effects of strain on despair (-like) symptoms
Analysis Availability: The data will not be held in the a community databases due to constraints from the informed concur (subjects have not provided agree to provides the data publicly stored) and Eu research confidentiality statutes (GDPR). The info come to the consult. A data availableness panel could have been applied, comprising Prof G.J. ter Horst (Dominant Detective of one’s data), J.B.C. Marsman and Prof A great. Aleman (lead of Intellectual Neuroscience Heart), who will opinion desires and assure entry to of one’s studies. It availability panel are hit via
Funding: The research is actually funded from the a contribution out-of Mr Hazewinkel in order to the analysis College out-of Behavioural and you may Intellectual Neurosciences and you will Prof Grams.J. ter Horst. Mr Hazewinkel didn’t come with part within the data design, research range and you can data, choice to post, otherwise preparing of your own manuscript.
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Stressful lifestyle-situations are thought becoming chance products with the development of depression. Kendler ainsi que al. examined the fresh new interplay between exhausting events, genetic predisposition and anxiety certainly one of girls twins and found one to both heredity and occurrence from tiring situations lead to the newest onset of depressive episodes alone. Particularly occurrences with high feeling, eg loss of a near family member and you can split up, elevated the possibilities of development a beneficial depressive episode, whilst the most of people don’t make a good depressive event following the exposure to a distressing knowledge. And this, lookup focusing on stressful and you will psychologically hurtful occurrences will provide beneficial wisdom on individual distinctions away from fret-related coping therefore the link between worry and you may depression.