Romantic relationship breakup: An experimental model to study effects of stress on depression (-like) symptoms

Abstract

The occurrence of a stressful event is considered to increase the risk of developing depression. In the present study we explore whether the breakup of a romantic relationship can be used as an experimental model to study a depression-like state during a period of stress in individuals without a psychiatric disorder. The primary aim of our study was to investigate: 1) whether individuals with a recent romantic relationship breakup (‘‘heartbreak”) demonstrate symptoms of depression, 2) how to describe heartbreak characteristics based on data from a comprehensive questionnaire battery, and 3) whether this description can capture severity of depression symptoms. Secondary, we were interested in gender differences with regard to the above study objectives. Subjects who have experienced a relationship breakup in the preceding six months ( N = 71) or are in a romantic relationship ( N = 46) participated in our study. A questionnaire battery was administered to acquire information related to depression, mood, the breakup and (former) relationship. Principal Component Analysis with Procrustes bootstrapping was performed to extract components from the questionnaire data. Even though our sample of individuals who recently have experienced a relationship breakup can be on average considered non-depressed, group-level depression scores were elevated compared to individuals in a relationship ( p = .001) and 26.8% reported symptoms corresponding to mild, moderate or severe depression. We described heartbreak by two principal components interpreted as ‘‘sudden loss” and ‘‘lack of positive affect”, respectively. Highly significant correlations between the component scores and depression scores were found ( p < .001 and p < .001, respectively), although these correlations differed between the genders. Based on these findings, we propose that the experience of a romantic relationship breakup is a viable experimental model to examine symptoms of depression in individuals without a psychiatric disorder. This way, stress-related coping and depression vulnerability can be studied in further research.

Proximate and Ultimate Perspectives on Romantic Love

“…There is evidence that romantic love is associated with increased hypomanic symptoms (elevated mood, Brand et al, 2007;Bajoghli et al, 2011Bajoghli et al, , 2013Bajoghli et al, , 2014Bajoghli et al, , 2017Brand et al, 2015), a change (increase or decrease) in depression symptoms (Stoessel et al, 2011;Bajoghli et al, 2013Bajoghli et al, , 2014Bajoghli et al, , 2017Price et al, 2016;Verhallen et al, 2019;Kuula et al, 2020), and increased state anxiety (Hatfield et al, 1989;Wang and Nguyen, 1995;Bajoghli et al, 2013Bajoghli et al, , 2014Bajoghli et al, , 2017Brand et al, 2015;Kuula et al, 2020). See Supplementary Table 1 for information about studies investigating hypomania, depression, and anxiety symptoms in people experiencing romantic love.…”

“…This could account for some findings that romantic love is associated with a reduction in depression symptoms (Bajoghli et al, 2013(Bajoghli et al, , 2017. However, these need to be reconciled with contrasting findings that romantic love is associated with increased depression symptoms (Bajoghli et al, 2014;Kuula et al, 2020) and evidence suggesting that a relationship breakup in people experiencing romantic love is associated with depression symptoms (Stoessel et al, 2011;Price et al, 2016;Verhallen et al, 2019). The mechanisms that underlie depression might provide a framework for such efforts.…”

Contact With an Ex-Partner Is Associated With Psychological Distress After Marital Separation

“…The LOSROS is a measure of perceived loss and rediscovery of the self after relationship dissolution that has been linked to emotional recovery after divorce (Bourassa, Manvelian, Boals, Mehl, & Sbarra, 2017). The ICG measures the degree of grief associated with the loss of the romantic relationship and has been frequently used as an indication of postrelationship dissolution adjustment (e.g., del Palacio-González, Clark, & O’Sullivan, 2017; Verhallen, Renken, Marsman, & Horst, 2019).…”

The Dynamics of Functional Brain Networks Associated With Depressive Symptoms in a Nonclinical Sample

“…We analyzed a data set from a previously published behavioral study on the degree of depressive symptoms after a relationship breakup (Verhallen et al, 2019). This data set consists of 71 volunteers (38 women; age range, 18-25) who were in a relationship for at least 6 months, which ended in the preceding 6 months.…”