Temporal relationships between happiness and psychiatric disorders and their symptom severity in a large cohort study: the Netherlands Study of Depression and Anxiety (NESDA)

Abstract

Background Notwithstanding the firmly established cross-sectional association of happiness with psychiatric disorders and their symptom severity, little is known about their temporal relationships. The goal of the present study was to investigate whether happiness is predictive of subsequent psychiatric disorders and symptom severity (and vice versa). Moreover, it was examined whether changes in happiness co-occur with changes in psychiatric disorder status and symptom severity. Methods In the Netherlands Study of Depression and Anxiety (NESDA), happiness (SRH: Self-Rated Happiness scale), depressive and social anxiety disorder (CIDI: Composite Interview Diagnostic Instrument) and depressive and anxiety symptom severity (IDS: Inventory of Depressive Symptomatology; BAI: Beck Anxiety Inventory; and FQ: Fear Questionnaire) were measured in 1816 adults over a three-year period. Moreover, we focused on occurrence and remittance of 6-month recency Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) and Social Anxiety Disorders (SAD) as the two disorders most intertwined with subjective happiness. Results Interindividual differences in happiness were quite stable (ICC of .64). Higher levels of happiness predicted recovery from depression (OR = 1.41; 95% CI = 1.10–1.80), but not social anxiety disorder (OR = 1.31; 95%CI = .94–1.81), as well as non-occurrence of depression (OR = 2.41; 95%CI = 1.98–2.94) and SAD (OR = 2.93; 95%CI = 2.29–3.77) in participants without MDD, respectively SAD at baseline. Higher levels of happiness also predicted a reduction of IDS depression (sr = − 0.08; 95%CI = -0.10 - -0.04), and BAI (sr = − 0.09; 95%CI = -0.12 - -0.05) and FQ (sr = − 0.06; 95%CI = -0.09 - -0.04) anxiety symptom scores. Conversely, presence of affective disorders, as well as higher depression and anxiety symptom severity at baseline predicted a subsequent reduction of self-reported happiness (with marginal to small sr values varying between −.04 (presence of SAD) to −.17 (depression severity on the IDS)). Moreover, changes in happiness were associated with changes in psychiatric disorders and their symptom severity, in particular with depression severity on the IDS (sr = − 0.46; 95%CI = −.50 - -.42). Conclusions Results support the view of rather stable interindividual differences in subjective happiness, although level of happiness is inversely associated with changes in psychiatric disorders and their symptom severity, in particular depressive disorder and depression severity.

Positivity-approach training for depressive symptoms: A randomized controlled trial

“…Depression is one of the most common psychological disorders with a lifetime prevalence estimated at 20.8%, and an average age of onset of 30 years (Kessler et al, 2005). It is also highly comorbid (Spinhoven et al, 2011), and it predicts poorer treatment outcome in other disorders (Chambless et al, 1997;Compton et al, 2003;Keijsers et al, 1994). A range of different treatment options are available for depression, but a considerable number of patients do not benefit from these treatments or suffer from recurrent depressive episodes (Möller, 2008).…”

“…It is unclear, however, whether such a training would also reduce depressive symptoms regardless of the presenting disorder. Depressive symptoms are a common occurrence in many psychological disorders (Spinhoven et al, 2011). Depressive symptoms are, for instance, associated with a higher chronic disease burden (Poole and Steptoe, 2018) and a higher mortality risk (Everson-Rose et al, 2004).…”