Depression predicts interpersonal problems partially through the attitude towards social touch

Abstract

This is a PDF file of an unedited manuscript that has been accepted for publication. As a service to our customers we are providing this early version of the manuscript. The manuscript will undergo copyediting, typesetting, and review of the resulting proof before it is published in its final form. Please note that during the production process errors may be discovered which could affect the content, and all legal disclaimers that apply to the journal pertain. Highlights • Highly depressed individuals have a more negative attitude towards social touch than non-to lowly depressed individuals. • Highly depressed individuals particularly dislike physical touch by not well-known people, but not by close ones. • Highly depressed individuals report more interpersonal problems, with the level of depression predicting the degree of interpersonal problems. • The relationship between depression and interpersonal problems is partially mediated by the attitude towards social touch in general, and by the dislike of physical touch by people not well-known in particular.

The Association Between Family Function and Adolescents' Depressive Symptoms in China: A Longitudinal Cross-Lagged Analysis

“…A recent study showed that the prevalence rates of depressive symptoms among early adolescents are rising rapidly, up to an astonishing incidence rate of 24.3% (4). As a prevalent psychological disorder, adolescent depression was significantly associated with a series of impairments in cognitive, psychological and social functioning, such as academic failure (5), interpersonal problems (6), and even self-injury and suicide (7,8). Evidence from the Scar Hypothesis of depression had also assumed that depressive symptoms had a long-lasting deleterious effect on adolescents' self-concept and personality, leaving a "scar" on an individual's self-esteem (9)(10)(11).…”

From depressive symptoms to suicide risk: Roles of sense of belongingness and acquired capability for suicide in patients with mental disorders

“…First, depression is not only a typical negative emotion but also could lead to psychological inflexibility (Fergus, Valentiner, Mcgrath, Gier‐Lonsway, & Jencius, ) and overgeneral autobiographical memory (Williams et al, ), which hinders individuals from establishing effective social disconnection and makes them feel a lack of belongingness. Triscoli et al () found the same phenomenon. Second, if the belongingness could not be satisfied, the individual might produce a perception of inability or deficiency of the self.…”

“…In addition to the pessimism or anxiety caused by the stigma of mental disorders (Brown, Mitchell, Roush, La Rosa, & Cukrowicz, ; Lasalvia et al, ; Schomerus et al, ), depressive symptoms were a prominent cause. Depressed individuals often have pessimistic or anxious feelings about social integration, accompanied with problems such as self‐enclosure or interpersonal avoidance (Starr, Hammen, Connolly, & Brennan, ; Triscoli, Croy, & Sailer, ). The prediction effects of depression to the variables relevant to belongingness such as loneliness (Majd Ara, Talepasand, & Rezaei, ; Peerenboom, Collard, & Naarding, ; Świtaj, Grygiel, Chrostek, Wciórka, & Anczewska, ) and social trust (Fujiwara & Kawachi, ; Tanco, Rhondali, Park, Liu, & Bruera, ) have been proven by many studies.…”

Vicarious Ratings of Self vs. Other-directed Social Touch in Women with and Recovered from Anorexia Nervosa

“…Although participants were asked to state if they had any neurological or psychiatric conditions, a form of anhedonia measurement such as the Fawcett-Clark Pleasure Scale (FCPS) [90] or the Snaith-Hamilton Pleasure Scale (SHAPS) [91] should have been administered to account for participants mood on their testing day and those above the cut-off point excluded. This is because anhedonia, a characteristic for depression associated with the reduced ability to experience pleasure, can negatively affect attitudes to social touch [92].…”