Institute of Psychology, Leiden University, Wassenaarseweg 52, 2333, AK, Leiden, the Netherlands.
Department of Psychiatry, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, the Netherlands.
BMC Psychiatry. 2021 Jul 10;21(1):344. doi: 10.1186/s12888-021-03346-4.
Notwithstanding the firmly established cross-sectional association of happiness with psychiatric disorders and their symptom severity, little is known about their temporal relationships. The goal of the present study was to investigate whether happiness is predictive of subsequent psychiatric disorders and symptom severity (and vice versa). Moreover, it was examined whether changes in happiness co-occur with changes in psychiatric disorder status and symptom severity.
In the Netherlands Study of Depression and Anxiety (NESDA), happiness (SRH: Self-Rated Happiness scale), depressive and social anxiety disorder (CIDI: Composite Interview Diagnostic Instrument) and depressive and anxiety symptom severity (IDS: Inventory of Depressive Symptomatology; BAI: Beck Anxiety Inventory; and FQ: Fear Questionnaire) were measured in 1816 adults over a three-year period. Moreover, we focused on occurrence and remittance of 6-month recency Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) and Social Anxiety Disorders (SAD) as the two disorders most intertwined with subjective happiness.
Interindividual differences in happiness were quite stable (ICC of .64). Higher levels of happiness predicted recovery from depression (OR = 1.41; 95% CI = 1.10-1.80), but not social anxiety disorder (OR = 1.31; 95%CI = .94-1.81), as well as non-occurrence of depression (OR = 2.41; 95%CI = 1.98-2.94) and SAD (OR = 2.93; 95%CI = 2.29-3.77) in participants without MDD, respectively SAD at baseline. Higher levels of happiness also predicted a reduction of IDS depression (sr = - 0.08; 95%CI = -0.10 - -0.04), and BAI (sr = - 0.09; 95%CI = -0.12 - -0.05) and FQ (sr = - 0.06; 95%CI = -0.09 - -0.04) anxiety symptom scores. Conversely, presence of affective disorders, as well as higher depression and anxiety symptom severity at baseline predicted a subsequent reduction of self-reported happiness (with marginal to small sr values varying between -.04 (presence of SAD) to -.17 (depression severity on the IDS)). Moreover, changes in happiness were associated with changes in psychiatric disorders and their symptom severity, in particular with depression severity on the IDS (sr = - 0.46; 95%CI = -.50 - -.42).
Results support the view of rather stable interindividual differences in subjective happiness, although level of happiness is inversely associated with changes in psychiatric disorders and their symptom severity, in particular depressive disorder and depression severity.
尽管幸福与精神障碍及其严重程度之间存在着明确的横断面关联，但对于它们的时间关系却知之甚少。本研究的目的是调查幸福是否可以预测随后的精神障碍和症状严重程度（反之亦然）。此外，还研究了幸福的变化是否与精神障碍状态和症状严重程度的变化同时发生。
在荷兰抑郁和焦虑研究（NESDA）中，在三年内对 1816 名成年人进行了幸福感（SRH：自我报告幸福感量表）、抑郁和社交焦虑障碍（CIDI：综合访谈诊断工具）以及抑郁和焦虑症状严重程度（IDS：抑郁症状量表；BAI：贝克焦虑量表；和 FQ：恐惧问卷）的测量。此外，我们还重点关注了近 6 个月新发重度抑郁症（MDD）和社交焦虑障碍（SAD）的发生和缓解，因为这两种疾病与主观幸福感最为密切相关。
幸福感的个体间差异相当稳定（ICC 为.64）。较高的幸福感水平预示着抑郁的康复（OR = 1.41；95%CI = 1.10-1.80），但不预示着社交焦虑障碍（OR = 1.31；95%CI =.94-1.81），也不预示着无抑郁（OR = 2.41；95%CI = 1.98-2.94）和无 SAD（OR = 2.93；95%CI = 2.29-3.77）的发生，在基线时无 MDD 或 SAD 的参与者中分别如此。较高的幸福感水平也预示着 IDS 抑郁评分（sr = -0.08；95%CI = -0.10-0.04）、BAI 焦虑评分（sr = -0.09；95%CI = -0.12-0.05）和 FQ 焦虑评分（sr = -0.06；95%CI = -0.09-0.04）的降低。相反，情感障碍的存在以及基线时较高的抑郁和焦虑症状严重程度预示着随后幸福感的降低（具有边际到小的 sr 值，范围在-0.04（SAD 存在）至-0.17（IDS 上的抑郁严重程度）之间）。此外，幸福感的变化与精神障碍及其症状严重程度的变化相关，特别是与 IDS 上的抑郁严重程度相关（sr = -0.46；95%CI = -0.50-0.42）。
研究结果支持幸福感个体间差异相当稳定的观点，尽管幸福感水平与精神障碍及其症状严重程度的变化呈负相关，尤其是与抑郁障碍和抑郁严重程度呈负相关。
