The relation between empathy and depressive symptoms in a Dutch population sample

Impairments in social functioning are common in individuals with (sub)clinical levels of depression (Hirschfeld et al., 2000; Kessler et al., 2003), and may persist after remission of a depressive episode (Burcusa and Iacono, 2007). Social functioning impairments not only precede depression (Verboom et al., 2014), but also prevent the occurrence of positive interactions with others that might help mitigate stressful periods (Oshri et al., 2017). Enduring impairments in social functioning likely contribute to the recurrent and sometimes chronic nature of depression.

Source: Journal of Affective Disorders - August 8, 2018 Category: Neurology Authors: Elise C. Bennik, Bertus F. Jeronimus, Marije aan het Rot Source Type: research