Romantic relationship breakup: A fresh model to review ramifications of stress on anxiety (-like) attacks

13 jun 2023

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 In the morning, Renken RJ, ) Connection separation: An experimental model to study negative effects of stress on anxiety (-like) attacks. PLoS That 14(5): e0217320.

Copyright: © 2019 Verhallen mais aussi al. This is certainly an unbarred access blog post marketed within the regards to the newest Creative Commons Attribution License, and therefore it allows open-ended explore, shipments, and reproduction in almost any typical, considering the initial writer and you may source was credited.

Partnership separation: An experimental model to examine ramifications of strain on anxiety (-like) buddhistische Beziehung attacks

Data Availableness: The knowledge are not kept in the a public databases due to help you restrictions throughout the informed concur (sufferers have not given accept features the analysis publicly kept) and Western european investigation privacy laws and regulations (GDPR). The information and knowledge appear towards the request. A data access panel could have been set up, consisting of Prof G.J. ter Horst (Prominent Detective of the studies), J.B.C. Marsman and you will Prof An effective. Aleman (head of Intellectual Neuroscience Cardiovascular system), who’ll opinion demands and assuring accessibility of the study. So it supply committee will likely be reached through

Funding: The study are funded because of the a donation regarding Mr Hazewinkel to the research College out of Behavioural and you may Cognitive Neurosciences and you may Prof Grams.J. ter Horst. Mr Hazewinkel had no part inside the study design, analysis collection and you may study, choice to publish, or preparing of manuscript.

Inclusion

Stressful life-occurrences are considered to get chance affairs to the growth of anxiety. Kendler ainsi que al. investigated new interplay between tiring events, genetic predisposition and you may anxiety among girls twins and found that both heredity and occurrence out of tiring situations contributed to the fresh start of depressive symptoms by themselves. Especially occurrences with high feeling, such as death of a near partner and you may breakup, raised the chances of developing a great depressive occurrence, whilst greater part of people don’t make an excellent depressive event after the experience of an unpleasant skills. And therefore, research centering on tiring and psychologically hurtful incidents will offer valuable wisdom towards the individual distinctions of fret-associated coping plus the link between worry and you can anxiety.