Balance émotionnelle dans les troubles anxieux et dépressifs

Abstract

To date, few researches applied the emotional approach of the tripartite model of Watson and Clark, differentiating positive and negative affects, to the study of anxiety and depressive disorders. Nevertheless, the notion of emotional balance is interesting for the understanding of these pathologies and for the follow-up of treatments effects, both dimensions being independent and able to evolve differently according to the clinical syndromes. In our study, a large sample of outpatients with depressive and anxiety disorders was explored, with the Positive and Negative Emotionality (EPN-31) scale, and with other measures of anxiety and depressive symptoms. The results were in line with the tripartite model of emotions: high scores of negative affects in both categories of disorders, and low scores of positive affects especially in the depressive disorders. These results confirmed the relevance of an emotional approach of anxiety and depressive disorders, in particular for longitudinal studies and neuro-physiological correlations.