Psychological well-being in remitted patients with recurrent depression

摘要

Major depression is a highly prevalent, predominantly recurrent disorder. As proposed by positive clinical psychology 1, strengthening protective factors of depressive recurrence, besides eliminating risk factors, could help to better prevent maintenance and recurrence of depression. Psychological well-being (PWB) might play a central role in the maintenance of mental health 2. PWB, is based on the eudaimonic concept of well-being and encompasses six dimensions 3: autonomy, environmental mastery, personal growth, positive relations with others, purpose in life, and self-acceptance. There is some evidence that a lack of PWB increases the vulnerability to future depressive episodes, even after controlling for several risk factors such as prior depression, personality, economic status, and physical health 4. In addition to prospective studies, remitted disorder studies are most commonly used to investigate whether certain traits act as vulnerability factors or merely represent a symptom of depression 5. For instance, Rafanelli et al. 6 observed that patients who formerly suffered from mood and anxiety disorders displayed a lower level of PWB than healthy controls. However, to demonstrate the specific role of PWB in the course of depression, remitted individuals have to be compared not only to controls, but also to currently symptomatic individuals. Therefore, the primary goal of our study was to assess PWB in remitted depressed patients, healthy controls, and acutely depressed patients.