Department of Developmental Psychology and Socialization, University of Padova, Padova, Italy.
Department of Developmental Psychology and Socialization, University of Padova, Padova, Italy.
J Affect Disord. 2021 Oct 1;293:476-483. doi: 10.1016/j.jad.2021.06.026. Epub 2021 Jun 19.
Studies showed that affective temperaments and attachment are associated with depressive symptoms, and that they bi-directionally influence each-other. The aim of this study is to explore mechanisms underlying the relationship between the affective temperaments (i.e., depressive, cyclothymic, irritable, hyperthymic and anxious), interview-based attachment, and depressive symptoms.
A sample of 61 adolescents and young adults outpatients were asked to complete the Temperament Evaluation of Memphis, Pisa, and San Diego Autoquestionnaire (TEMPS-A) and the Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HAM-D). Attachment was assessed through the Adult Attachment Interview (AAI) and employing a dimensional approach to obtain continuous measures. Mediation models were performed with the affective temperaments as predictor, depressive symptoms as the criterion variable, and attachment dimensions as mediators.
Findings showed significant direct effects between all the affective temperaments and depressive symptoms. Only the cyclothymic (β = 0.22; SE = 0.1; 95% IC = 0.05, 0.42) and irritable (β = 0.21; SE = 0.09; 95% IC = 0.04, 0.4) temperaments showed an indirect effect on depressive symptoms through secure-insecure attachment. Dismissing attachment did not predict either the affective temperaments nor depressive symptoms. Preoccupied attachment significantly predicts depressive symptoms and, when controlling for it, the hyperthymic temperament no longer directly associates with depressive symptoms.
The cross-sectional study design limit conclusion about causation and directionality.
Secure attachment could be a protective factor for depressive symptoms for individuals with a cyclothymic or irritable temperament. Differently, the hyperthymic temperament loses its protective role toward depressive symptoms when accounting for preoccupied attachment.
研究表明，情感气质和依恋与抑郁症状有关，并且它们相互双向影响。本研究的目的是探讨情感气质（即抑郁、环性、易激惹、兴奋和焦虑）、基于访谈的依恋与抑郁症状之间关系的潜在机制。
我们邀请了 61 名青少年和年轻的门诊患者完成了《孟菲斯、比萨和圣地亚哥自动问卷的情绪评估》（TEMPS-A）和《汉密尔顿抑郁评定量表》（HAM-D）。采用维度方法评估依恋，通过成人依恋访谈（AAI）获得连续测量值。使用中介模型，以情感气质作为预测因子，以抑郁症状作为标准变量，以依恋维度作为中介变量。
研究结果显示，所有情感气质与抑郁症状之间存在显著的直接效应。只有环性（β=0.22；SE=0.1；95%CI=0.05，0.42）和易激惹（β=0.21；SE=0.09；95%CI=0.04，0.4）气质通过安全-不安全依恋对抑郁症状有间接影响。回避依恋既不能预测情感气质，也不能预测抑郁症状。专注依恋显著预测抑郁症状，当控制专注依恋后，兴奋气质与抑郁症状不再直接相关。
横断面研究设计限制了关于因果关系和方向性的结论。
对于具有环性或易激惹气质的个体，安全依恋可能是抑郁症状的保护因素。相反，当考虑到专注依恋时，兴奋气质对抑郁症状的保护作用就会丧失。
