Institute of Psychology, University of Münster, Münster, Germany.
Clin Psychol Psychother. 2020 Sep;27(5):640-671. doi: 10.1002/cpp.2452. Epub 2020 Apr 13.
Research has highlighted the role of social comparison processes in varying affect and psychological wellbeing. These processes can provide greater insight into cognitions and behaviours related to depression and anxiety disorders. This review aimed to examine the relationship of social comparison with depression and anxiety in clinically relevant samples, using a process-based approach. Studies of clinical and subclinical populations that utilized observational or experimental social comparison assessment were considered for review. A systematic literature search in Medline and PsycInfo databases produced 54 relevant studies (49 studies on adults and five on child and adolescent populations), 14 of which were suitable for a meta-analysis. A meta-analysis of the association of social comparison evaluation with depression and anxiety in clinical populations revealed weighted correlations of -0.53 and - 0.39, respectively. No subclinical studies were included in a meta-analysis due to a lack of comparable outcomes. Evidence suggests differences between depression and anxiety disorders in information seeking, where frequency and diversity of social comparisons vary; however, studies comparing disorders are lacking. Heterogeneity of experimental studies precluded inclusion in a meta-analysis. A narrative review of experimental data indicated depression and anxiety status is related to reactions to upward comparisons in the domains of affect and behaviour, where individual differences in evaluation can determine affective reactions and how comparison information is further sought. This review suggests social comparison has a significant association with depression and anxiety. However, the limited number of studies with clinical populations necessitates further research on social comparison processes in clinical samples.
研究强调了社会比较过程在改变情绪和心理幸福感方面的作用。这些过程可以更深入地了解与抑郁和焦虑障碍相关的认知和行为。本综述旨在通过基于过程的方法，考察社会比较与临床相关样本中抑郁和焦虑的关系。考虑了使用观察性或实验性社会比较评估的临床和亚临床人群的研究。在 Medline 和 PsycInfo 数据库中进行的系统文献检索产生了 54 项相关研究（49 项针对成年人，5 项针对儿童和青少年），其中 14 项适合进行荟萃分析。对临床人群中社会比较评价与抑郁和焦虑的关联进行荟萃分析，结果显示与抑郁和焦虑分别呈 -0.53 和 -0.39 的加权相关。由于缺乏可比结果，没有亚临床研究被纳入荟萃分析。有证据表明，在寻求信息方面，抑郁和焦虑障碍存在差异，其中社会比较的频率和多样性有所不同；然而，比较两种疾病的研究却很少。实验研究的异质性使得它们无法被纳入荟萃分析。对实验数据的叙述性回顾表明，抑郁和焦虑状态与在情感和行为领域对向上比较的反应有关，其中个体对评价的差异可以决定情感反应以及如何进一步寻求比较信息。本综述表明，社会比较与抑郁和焦虑有显著关联。然而，由于临床人群的研究数量有限，需要进一步研究临床样本中的社会比较过程。
