Division of Clinical Psychology and Intervention Science, Department of Psychology, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland,
Technische Universität Dresden, Institute of Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, Dresden, Germany.
Psychother Psychosom. 2021;90(4):280-284. doi: 10.1159/000511102. Epub 2020 Dec 17.
Stress and social isolation are potent predictors of negative health outcomes and are impacted in mood and anxiety disorders. Difficulties in social interactions have been particularly noted in people diagnosed with major depression disorder (MDD) and social phobia (SP). It remains poorly understood, however, how these variables interact on a moment-to-moment basis and which variables moderate this relationship. Psychological flexibility, or the ability to be open to experiences while maintaining engagement in valued activities, may help moderate the relationship between stress and social interaction.
This study examined these variables in participants diagnosed with MDD and SP and compared them to a control group.
Participants were diagnosed with a mental disorder (n = 118 MDD; n = 47 SP) or were in the control group consisting of participants without MDD or SP (n = 119). Using the event sampling methodology (ESM), participants were queried six times per day for 7 days about stress, social interactions, and emotional response (rigid vs. flexible).
Higher current stress levels were related to more social interactions. This relationship was even stronger in situations when response flexibility was increased, especially in the clinical groups.
Data suggest that a healthy psychological process (flexible emotional responding) buffers the relationship between stress and social interactions. We discuss how these variables interact and whether these patterns may paradoxically contribute to the maintenance of psychopathology.
压力和社会隔离是负面健康结果的有力预测因素，会影响情绪和焦虑障碍。在被诊断患有重度抑郁症（MDD）和社交恐惧症（SP）的人群中，特别注意到了社交互动方面的困难。然而，这些变量如何在瞬息万变的基础上相互作用，以及哪些变量调节这种关系，仍知之甚少。心理灵活性，即在保持参与有价值的活动的同时对体验保持开放的能力，可能有助于调节压力与社交互动之间的关系。
本研究在患有 MDD 和 SP 的参与者中检查了这些变量，并将其与对照组进行了比较。
参与者被诊断患有精神障碍（n = 118 MDD；n = 47 SP）或属于无 MDD 或 SP 的对照组（n = 119）。使用事件抽样法（ESM），参与者在 7 天内每天被询问 6 次，内容有关压力、社交互动和情绪反应（僵化与灵活）。
当前压力水平越高，社交互动就越多。在响应灵活性增加的情况下，这种关系更为强烈，尤其是在临床组中。
数据表明，健康的心理过程（灵活的情绪反应）缓冲了压力与社交互动之间的关系。我们讨论了这些变量如何相互作用，以及这些模式是否可能矛盾地促成精神病理学的维持。
