Relationship between somatic discomfort and neuroticism, attentional bias and TORAWARE in depression

Objective o explore the correlation between somatic discomfort and neuroticism, attentional bias and TORAWARE in patients with depression, and to explore the psychological mechanism of somatic discomfort of depression.

TMethods A total of 85 patients with depression(depression group) diagnosed in the outpatient department and 93 healthy volunteers(control group) evaluated with Hamilton depression scale(HAMD-24), self-rating scale of somatic symptoms(SSS), Eysenck personality test(EPQ), attention to positive and negative inventory(APNI) and the Chinese version of self-rating scale for the TORAWARE state of neurosis(SSTN).Their relationship was analyzed.

Results The scores of somatic symptoms, TORAWARE, negative attentional bias and depressive symptoms in depression group were significantly higher than those in control group(P < 0.01).The scores of positive attentional bias of control group were significantly higher than those in depression group(P < 0.01).The scores of neuroticism and psychoticism in depression group were higher than those in control group(P < 0.01).There were no significant differences in the scores of concealment and introversion and extroversion(P>0.05).There was a positive correlation between depression degree score and somatic discomfort score in depression group(r=0.581, P < 0.01).The scores of depression and somatic discomfort were negatively correlated with the scores of positive attentional biases(r=-0.355, P < 0.01 and P < 0.05).They were significanly positively correlated with negative attentional bias(r=0.234, P < 0.05), TORAWARE score(r=0.459, 0.351, P < 0.01) and neuroticism score(r=0.323, 0.327, P < 0.01).There was a significant positive correlation between TORAWARE score and negative attentional bias score(r=0.475, P < 0.01).Neuroticism score was significantly positively correlated with negative attentional bias score and TORAWARE state score(r=0.484, 0.407, P < 0.01).

Conclusions The somatic discomfort and depressive symptoms of patients with depression are related to the increase of negative attentional bias and the decrease of positive attentional bias, neuroticism personality and TORAWARE state.The interaction and mutual reinforcement between neuroticism personality and negative attentional bias, TORAWARE, somatic discomfort and depressive symptoms may be the important psychological mechanisms for the occurrence and development of somatic discomfort and depressive symptoms of depression.