Lu Qian, Man Jenny, You Jin, LeRoy Angie S
University of Houston, USA.
University of Houston, USA.
J Psychosom Res. 2015 Aug;79(2):153-8. doi: 10.1016/j.jpsychores.2015.01.007. Epub 2015 Jan 20.
Ambivalence over emotional expression (AEE) is the conflict between wanting to express emotion yet fearing the consequences of such expression. Recent literature reveals a close link between AEE and depressive symptoms among college students. Although cancer survivors experience intense emotions, few studies have examined the relationship between AEE and depressive symptoms and the underlying mechanisms among cancer survivors. Furthermore, relevant research is absent among Asians, whose culture discourages emotional expression. The present study investigated AEE's associations with depressive symptoms in Asian breast cancer survivors, and examined intrusive thoughts as a mediator. Intrusive thoughts are repetitive and unwanted thoughts about stressful events. We hypothesized that AEE would increase intrusive thoughts which in turn would increase depressive symptoms.
A total of 118 Chinese American breast cancer survivors completed a questionnaire packet containing the Ambivalence over Emotional Expression Questionnaire (AEQ), Brief Symptom Inventory (BSI), and the Impact of Event Scale (IES).
AEE was positively associated with depressive symptoms (β=.45, p<.001) and intrusive thoughts (β=.41, p<.001). Additionally, intrusive thoughts partially explained the relationship between AEE and depressive symptoms (z=3.77, p<.001).
These results suggest that Chinese breast cancer survivors who are highly ambivalent over emotional expression may have increased risk for depressive symptoms, and such relationships can be partially explained by a cognitive mechanism: intrusive thoughts. Future research may explore other mediators and design interventions specifically targeted at reducing AEE and intrusive thoughts with the ultimate goal of reducing depression.
情绪表达矛盾（AEE）是指想要表达情绪却又害怕这种表达所带来后果之间的冲突。近期文献显示，大学生的AEE与抑郁症状之间存在密切联系。尽管癌症幸存者会经历强烈的情绪，但很少有研究探讨AEE与抑郁症状之间的关系以及癌症幸存者的潜在机制。此外，在文化上不鼓励情绪表达的亚洲人中，相关研究尚属空白。本研究调查了亚洲乳腺癌幸存者中AEE与抑郁症状的关联，并检验了侵入性思维作为中介变量的作用。侵入性思维是关于压力事件的反复出现且不受欢迎的想法。我们假设AEE会增加侵入性思维，而侵入性思维反过来又会增加抑郁症状。
共有118名华裔美国乳腺癌幸存者完成了一份问卷包，其中包括情绪表达矛盾问卷（AEQ）、简明症状量表（BSI）和事件影响量表（IES）。
AEE与抑郁症状（β = 0.45，p <.001）和侵入性思维（β = 0.41，p <.001）呈正相关。此外，侵入性思维部分解释了AEE与抑郁症状之间的关系（z = 3.77，p <.001）。
这些结果表明，对情绪表达高度矛盾的华裔乳腺癌幸存者可能有更高的抑郁症状风险，这种关系可以部分由一种认知机制来解释：侵入性思维。未来的研究可以探索其他中介变量，并设计专门针对减少AEE和侵入性思维的干预措施，最终目标是减轻抑郁。
