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 Was, Renken RJ, ) Romantic relationship break up: An experimental model to review ramifications of stress on anxiety (-like) attacks. PLoS One to fourteen(5): e0217320.
Copyright: © 2019 Verhallen mais aussi al. That is an open availableness article distributed under the terms of the latest Innovative Commons Attribution Licenses, hence permits open-ended use, shipments, and you can breeding in just about any typical, offered the initial author and origin is paid.
Partnership separation: An experimental design to examine ramifications of stress on despair (-like) symptoms
Study Availableness: The data are not stored at a public databases owed so you’re able to limits about informed concur (subjects have not offered agree to provides its research publicly kept) and you can European studies confidentiality legislation (GDPR). The information arrive for bookofsex-ondersteuning the consult. A data availability committee might have been applied, comprising Prof Grams.J. ter Horst (Dominant Detective of the study), J.B.C. Marsman and you may Prof An excellent. Aleman (direct of Intellectual Neuroscience Center), who will feedback needs and you will to make certain entry to of analysis. That it supply panel is attained through
Funding: The study are funded because of the a donation of Mr Hazewinkel to the analysis College out of Behavioral and you may Cognitive Neurosciences and Prof G.J. ter Horst. Mr Hazewinkel didn’t come with character from inside the investigation build, data collection and you may analysis, decision to create, or thinking of manuscript.
Addition
Stressful life-occurrences are believed to be chance circumstances towards development of despair. Kendler et al. investigated the fresh new interplay between tiring incidents, hereditary predisposition and you can depression certainly one of ladies twins and discovered that one another inheritance and you may thickness from tiring incidents lead to the new start of depressive symptoms alone. Especially events with a high feeling, like death of a close relative and you will split up, increased the possibilities of developing a beneficial depressive episode, as the most of people do not develop an effective depressive event after the exposure to an unpleasant experiences. Hence, research focusing on tiring and you may emotionally upsetting situations deliver beneficial understanding towards the private variations regarding stress-associated dealing as well as the results of stress and depression.