ENERGY AND VIITALITY IN PATIENTS WITH DEPRESSIVE DISORDERS
Authors: Belov O.O. 
Published: June 2021

Depressive disorders are one of the most clinically and socially challenging diseases resulting from diagnostic and therapeutic difficulties and significant socio-psychological maladaptation. Therefore, investigating the characteristics of energy and vitality in patients with depressive disorders, taking into account age and sex can contribute to comprehensive understanding of the etiopathogenetic and pathopsychological mechanisms of depressive disorders.

The aim of this study is to assess the peculiarities of vitality and its components in patients with depressive disorders considering their age and sex. The study involved 107 men and 138 women with depressive disorders, who underwent clinical and psychological examination and were asked to fill out a questionnaire about their live energy and health components of vitality. The findings obtained demonstrated the low level of vitality in patients with depression. In men, the level of social engagement was 22.2±5.9 scores in the age group up to 30 years; 19.0±6.8 scores in the age group of 30-44 year participants, and 11.6±10.0 scores in the age group of 45 year old and over; while in the control groups this value was 20.9±4.4 scores, 19.5±5.9 scores and 13.2±9.2 scores respectively. The assumption of risk was in the test groups was scored 9.9±3.4, 8.7±3.2, and 5.6±4.3 respectively; vitality rate made up 53.1±11.7 scores, 47.2±13.4 scores and 30.4 ± 22.7 scores respectively.

The women demonstrated significantly (p<0.05) higher rates of social engagement: 25.6±7.5 scores, 22.4±7.2 scores, and 14.7±6.6 points, respectively vs. 23.5±5.0 scores, 22.1±6.0 scores, and 17.9±4.7 scores in the controls, respectively; the assumption of risk equalled 10.7±3.1 scores, 9.9±4.0 scores, and 7.8±3.6 scores respectively. The vitality was scored 59.8±13.3, 54.3±15.2, and 40.5±13.2 respectively. There has been found a tendency towards the decrease in the indicators of vitality, both its integral and individual components, with age, and this is more pronounced in the age group of 45 years and over. Significant (p<0.01) inverse correlations have been found between the severity of depression and the social life engagement (rS=0.683), control (rS=0.668), assumption of risks (rS=0.599) and vitality (rS=0.695); between the reactive anxiety and the social engagement (rS=0.608), control (rS=0.567), assumption of risks (rS=0.520) and vitality (rS=0.651); and between personal anxiety and social engagement (rS=0.336), control (rS=0.295), assumption of risks (rS=0.208) and vitality (rS=0.339).

Conclusions. Depressive disorders are accompanied by a significant decrease in the energy and vitality of the patients that impacts both the overall vitality and its components: social engagement, control, and assumption of risks. The level of vitality goes down with the age of the individuals, and is more pronounced in the aged group (45 years and over). The men demonstrate significantly lower levels of social engagement, control, and vitality in all age groups compared to the women, and a lower level of the assumption of risks in the age group 45 years and over. There have been found out moderate inverse correlations between vitality, social engagement, control, and the assumption of risk and the severity of depressive symptoms, reactive anxiety, and weak inverse correlations with personal anxiety.