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Nonverbal behavioral similarity between patients with depression in remission and interviewers in relation to satisfaction and recurrence of depression
Author(s) -
Geerts Erwin,
van Os Titus,
Ormel Johan,
Bouhuys Netty
Publication year - 2006
Publication title -
depression and anxiety
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.634
H-Index - 129
eISSN - 1520-6394
pISSN - 1091-4269
DOI - 10.1002/da.20162
Subject(s) - nonverbal communication , interpersonal communication , depression (economics) , psychology , clinical psychology , interpersonal relationship , psychiatry , developmental psychology , social psychology , economics , macroeconomics
Unsatisfying interpersonal relationships are involved in the onset and course of depression. However, little is known about the underlying mechanisms. In this study we investigated the nonverbal communication between 101 patients with remitted depression and interviewers. We related the interaction between the patients' and interviewers' behavior to patients' satisfaction with the interview and to the risk of recurrence of depression. We registered the patients' and interviewers' nonverbal displays of involvement during a clinical interview and assessed the patients' satisfaction with the interview. Possible recurrence of depression was assessed within a 2‐year follow‐up. Based on findings in healthy people, we hypothesized that the more similar the levels of the patients' and interviewers' behavior became during the interview, the more satisfied the patients would turn out to be. Furthermore, we hypothesized that lack of similarity in the levels of the patients' and interviewers' involvement behavior would predict recurrence of depression. Our hypotheses were confirmed: The more the patients' and interviewers' behavior converged, the more satisfied the patients were with the interview and the lower the risk of recurrence of depression. Satisfaction did not mediate the association between convergence and risk of recurrence. Also, no gender effects were found. We conclude that nonverbal communication processes are involved in the risk of recurrence of depression. Remitted people's difficulties in reaching nonverbal convergence with others may hamper them in their interpersonal functioning and, as a consequence, may put them at risk for new episodes of depression. Depression and Anxiety 23:200–209, 2006. © 2006 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.