To be Scared or Scared to be: Existential Anxiety as a Mediator between Meaning Experience and Depression

IF 1.3 4区心理学 Q3 PSYCHOLOGY, MULTIDISCIPLINARY

Journal of Humanistic Psychology Pub Date : 2022-12-15 DOI:10.1177/00221678221140617

Heidi Pellens, J. Dezutter, P. Luyten, Siebrecht Vanhooren

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Difficulty in the experience of meaning has been both theoretically and empirically linked with depression. This cross-sectional study first aimed to replicate the association between difficulty in meaning experience and depression in a sample of 77 psychotherapists and counselors (77.1% females; Mage: 49; SDage = 12.25). Second, this study wanted to extend the body of research findings by investigating whether existential anxiety, and focusing manner, that is, the ability to attend to one’s bodily felt experiences, mediated the relation between meaning experience and the severity of depression. Surprisingly, meaning experience did not show a significant association with severity of depression. Furthermore, existential anxiety mediated the association between meaning experience and severity of depression. Focusing manner showed no significant mediating role in the relationship between meaning experience and severity of depression. These findings suggest that existential anxiety might be an important underlying mechanism in depressive disorder. Addressing the anxiety evoked by existential questions in the patient’s life might be important in the psychotherapeutic treatment of depression. Future prospective research is needed to further disentangle the relationship between meaning experience, depression, focusing, and existential anxiety.

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被恐惧还是被恐惧：作为意义体验和抑郁中介的存在焦虑

难以体验意义在理论上和经验上都与抑郁症有关。本横断面研究首先旨在对77名心理治疗师和咨询师(77.1%为女性;法师:49;SDage = 12.25)。其次，本研究旨在拓展现有研究成果，探讨存在焦虑和专注方式(即关注身体感受体验的能力)是否在意义体验与抑郁严重程度之间起中介作用。令人惊讶的是，意义体验并没有显示出与抑郁症严重程度的显著关联。存在焦虑在意义体验与抑郁严重程度之间起中介作用。专注方式在意义体验与抑郁严重程度的关系中无显著中介作用。这些发现表明存在焦虑可能是抑郁症的重要潜在机制。在抑郁症的心理治疗中，解决患者生活中存在问题所引起的焦虑可能是重要的。未来的前瞻性研究需要进一步理清意义体验、抑郁、专注和存在焦虑之间的关系。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

Journal of Humanistic Psychology PSYCHOLOGY, MULTIDISCIPLINARY-

CiteScore

5.40

自引率

5.90%

发文量

期刊介绍： The Journal of Humanistic Psychology is an interdisciplinary forum for contributions, controversies and diverse statements pertaining to humanistic psychology. It addresses personal growth, interpersonal encounters, social problems and philosophical issues. An international journal of human potential, self-actualization, the search for meaning and social change, the Journal of Humanistic Psychology was founded by Abraham Maslow and Anthony Sutich in 1961. It is the official journal of the Association for Humanistic Psychology.