In action or inaction? Social approach–avoidance tendencies in major depression

Abstract In depression, approach deficits often impair everyday social functioning, but empirical findings on performance-based measurements of approach–avoidance behavior remain conflicting. To investigate action tendencies in patients with depression, the current study used an explicit version of...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:	Psychiatry research Vol. 219; no. 3; pp. 513 - 517
Main Authors:	Radke, Sina, Güths, Franziska, André, Julia A, Müller, Bernhard W, de Bruijn, Ellen R.A
Format:	Journal Article
Language:	English
Published:	Kidlington Elsevier Ireland Ltd 30-11-2014 Elsevier
Subjects:	Adult Adult and adolescent clinical studies Anger Approach–avoidance Behavior Biological and medical sciences Depression Depressive Disorder, Major - psychology Emotion Emotions Facial Expression Facial expressions Female Happiness Humans Interpersonal Relations Male Medical sciences Middle Aged Miscellaneous Mood disorders Motivation Psychiatry Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry Psychopathology. Psychiatry Reaction Time Social Behavior Social interaction Young Adult Depression Emotion Facial expressions Approach–avoidance Social interaction Mood disorder Affect affectivity Emotional expression Approach―avoidance Emotion emotionality Face Avoidance Facial expression
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Summary:	Abstract In depression, approach deficits often impair everyday social functioning, but empirical findings on performance-based measurements of approach–avoidance behavior remain conflicting. To investigate action tendencies in patients with depression, the current study used an explicit version of the Approach–Avoidance Task (AAT). In this task, participants responded to emotional faces by either pulling a joystick toward (approach) or pushing it away from themselves (avoid). Reaction times to happy and angry expressions with direct and averted gaze were assessed in 30 patients with major depressive disorder and 20 matched healthy controls. In contrast to healthy individuals, depressed patients did not show approach–avoidance tendencies, i.e., there was no dominant behavioral tendency and they reacted to happy and angry expressions likewise. These results indicate that behavioral adjustments to different emotional expressions, gaze directions or motivational demands were lacking in depression. Crucially, this distinguishes depressed patients not only from healthy individuals, but also from other clinical populations that demonstrate aberrant approach–avoidance tendencies, e.g., patients with social anxiety or psychopathy. As responding flexibly to different social signals is integral to social interactions, the absence of any social motivational tendencies seems maladaptive, but may also provide opportunities for modifying action tendencies in a therapeutic context.
ISSN:	0165-1781 1872-7123
DOI:	10.1016/j.psychres.2014.07.011