Kock Merle, Belmans Eline, Raes Filip
Centre for the Psychology of Learning and Experimental Psychopathology, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.
Child & Youth Institute, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.
Clin Psychol Eur. 2023 Jun 29;5(2):e10495. doi: 10.32872/cpe.10495. eCollection 2023 Jun.
It is increasingly recognised that the study of responses to positive emotions significantly contributes to our understanding of psychopathology. Notably, positive emotions are not necessarily experienced as pleasurable. Instead, some believe that experiencing happiness may have negative consequences, referred to as fear of happiness (FOH), or they experience a fear of losing control over positive emotions (FOLC). According to reward devaluation theory, such an association of positivity with negative outcomes will result in positive stimuli being devalued over time, contributing to or maintaining depressive symptoms. The prospective relationship between fears of positivity and depressive symptoms is yet to be examined in adolescents. The present longitudinal study investigated whether FOH and FOLC prospectively predict depressive symptoms.
128 adolescents between 16-18 years of age (M = 16.87, SD = 0.80) recruited from two secondary schools in Flanders, Belgium, completed measures of depressive symptoms (Depression Anxiety Stress Scales) including consummatory anhedonia, FOH (Fear of Happiness Scale), and FOLC (Affective Control Scale) in their classroom at baseline and 2-months follow-up. Regression analyses were performed to test the association between FOH, FOLC, and depressive symptoms.
FOH concurrently, but not prospectively, predicted depressive symptoms. There was no significant association between FOH and consummatory anhedonia. FOLC was not a significant predictor of depressive symptoms or consummatory anhedonia.
These findings suggest that FOH may only be concurrently related to depressive symptoms. Considering prior findings in adults, future research should investigate the association of FOH with anticipatory anhedonia in adolescents.
人们越来越认识到，对积极情绪反应的研究对我们理解精神病理学有重大贡献。值得注意的是，积极情绪不一定会带来愉悦感。相反，一些人认为体验幸福可能会有负面后果，即所谓的幸福恐惧（FOH），或者他们会经历对失去对积极情绪控制的恐惧（FOLC）。根据奖励贬值理论，这种积极与负面结果的关联会导致积极刺激随着时间的推移而贬值，从而导致或维持抑郁症状。青少年中对积极情绪的恐惧与抑郁症状之间的前瞻性关系尚未得到研究。本纵向研究调查了FOH和FOLC是否能前瞻性地预测抑郁症状。
从比利时弗拉芒地区的两所中学招募了128名16 - 18岁的青少年（M = 16.87，SD = 0.80），他们在基线和2个月随访时在教室里完成了抑郁症状测量（抑郁焦虑压力量表），包括满足性快感缺乏、FOH（幸福恐惧量表）和FOLC（情感控制量表）。进行回归分析以检验FOH、FOLC与抑郁症状之间的关联。
FOH与抑郁症状同时存在关联，但不是前瞻性关联。FOH与满足性快感缺乏之间没有显著关联。FOLC不是抑郁症状或满足性快感缺乏的显著预测因素。
这些发现表明，FOH可能仅与抑郁症状同时存在关联。考虑到成年人的先前研究结果，未来的研究应该调查青少年中FOH与预期性快感缺乏之间的关联。
