Savouring and Self‐compassion as Protective Factors for Depression

Abstract

Within positive psychology, researchers and clinicians vocalize the need to expand upon how the treatment for major depressive disorder is conceptualized and implemented. The impetus of the current study was to examine preliminary criteria for identifying savouring and self-compassion as protective factors for depression. Undergraduate students (N = 133) completed a series of surveys at two points in time, 5 weeks apart. Results revealed that savouring and self-compassion were inversely related to depression scores cross-sectionally and prospectively. However, savouring was the only positive psychological variable to predict changes in depression scores across time. Cross-sectionally, savouring was also found to moderate the relation between negative life events and depression, such that the strength of the relation between negative life events and depression decreased when higher savouring was present. However, this same effect was not significant prospectively. There was no evidence, cross-sectionally or prospectively, that self-compassion moderated the relation between negative life events and depression. Taken together, results provide preliminary support for savouring as a protective factor for depressive symptoms. Mental health professionals should consider teaching savouring strategies to help at-risk clients stimulate and sustain positive affect as a means of preventing and reducing depressive symptoms. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Associations of trait positive emotion regulation with everyday emotions: An experience sampling approach

“…positive/negative) that individuals encountered. One recent study reported that the association between negative life events and depression became weaker at higher levels of perceived capability of savoring (Ford, Klibert, Tarantino, & Lamis, 2017). Our results extend the current evidence by investigating the role of perceived capability of savoring and trait positive rumination in the associations between both positive and negative events and everyday emotions.…”

Stress, savouring, and coping: The role of savouring in psychological adjustment following a stressful life event

“…As such, it is important to examine the relationship between savouring and negative (e.g., less depression and anxiety) and positive (e.g., greater life satisfaction) indicators of better adjustment. In a study on stressful life events experienced by college students, savouring at Time 1 predicted less depression at Time 2 (even after Time 1 depression was controlled for; Ford et al, ). Analyses controlling for a history of depression found that savouring related to less anxiety symptoms (Eisner, Johnson, & Carver, ), indicating that, in the study of savouring, it is important to study both depression and anxiety as separate indicators of distress.…”

“…More recently, there has been increasing research on the important role savouring might play in the adjustment to a stressful life event. For example, the relationship between savouring capacity and better psychological adjustment is found in the context of stressful life events, such as negative life events in college life (Ford, Klibert, Tarantino, & Lamis, ), combat exposure (Sytine, Britt, Pury, & Rosopa, ), and stressful events in the couple life (Samios & Khatri, ). Further, neuroscience research supports the restorative function of reminiscing or recalling positive memories in the context of stress (Speer & Delgado, ).…”

Positive emotion in distress as a potentially effective emotion regulation strategy for depression: A preliminary investigation

“…Because depression tends to have high autocorrelation by using short time intervals, about 1 month, between‐survey administrations comparatively generated very high covariance between depression scores at T1 and T2. In this case, high covariance left little residual variance for predictors to account for T2 depression scores, given previous research (e.g., Ford, Klibert, Tarantino, & Lamis, ; Haeffel & Vargas, ). Examining the effects predicting T2 depression with the addition of new variables after controlling for the effect of T1 depression, a R 2 change value increment of .04 for T2 depression showed a meaningful contribution to the existing variables (Ford et al ., ).…”

“…In this case, high covariance left little residual variance for predictors to account for T2 depression scores, given previous research (e.g., Ford, Klibert, Tarantino, & Lamis, 2016;Haeffel & Vargas, 2011). Examining the effects predicting T2 depression with the addition of new variables after controlling for the effect of T1 depression, a R 2 change value increment of .04 for T2 depression showed a meaningful contribution to the existing variables (Ford et al, 2016). It is recommended that future research prospectively evaluates the direct effects of positive emotion in distress on depression by using longer time intervals between survey administrations.…”