Acolin Jessica, Cadigan Jennifer M, Fleming Charles B, Rhew Isaac C, Lee Christine M
Department of Health Systems and Population Health, School of Public Health, University of Washington.
Center for the Study of Health and Risk Behaviors, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Washington.
Emerg Adulthood. 2023 Oct;11(5):1211-1222. doi: 10.1177/21676968231184922. Epub 2023 Jul 4.
Young adults face stressful role transitions as well as increased risk for poor mental health, but little is known about a "natural course" of response to such events. We used the PHQ-2 to characterize the trajectory of depressive symptoms before, during, and after relationship breakup and examined subjective appraisal and sense of control as moderators. In our sample of participants reporting a single breakup during the 2-year study period (N=156), breakup was associated with a temporary increase in depressive symptoms that returned to pre-breakup levels within three months. We observed increased symptoms among negatively appraised, but not positive or neutral, events. A general low sense of control was associated with higher depressive symptoms at all time points. Our results suggest that a natural course of response to young adult breakups is characterized by recovery within three months and that subjective appraisal and sense of control contribute to this adaptive response.
年轻人面临着压力巨大的角色转变，心理健康状况不佳的风险也在增加，但对于应对此类事件的“自然过程”却知之甚少。我们使用患者健康问卷-2（PHQ-2）来描述恋爱关系破裂前、期间和之后抑郁症状的轨迹，并将主观评估和控制感作为调节因素进行研究。在我们的样本中，参与者报告在为期2年的研究期内经历了一次分手（N=156），分手与抑郁症状的暂时增加有关，这种增加在三个月内恢复到分手前的水平。我们观察到，消极评价的事件中症状会增加，而积极或中性评价的事件则不会。总体而言，较低的控制感在所有时间点都与较高的抑郁症状相关。我们的结果表明，年轻人应对分手的自然过程的特点是在三个月内恢复，主观评估和控制感有助于这种适应性反应。
