Negative affect variability differs between anxiety and depression on social media.

ABSTRACT:

Objective

Negative affect variability is associated with increased symptoms of internalizing psychopathology (i.e., depression, anxiety). The Contrast Avoidance Model (CAM) suggests that individuals with anxiety avoid negative emotional shifts by maintaining pathological worry. Recent evidence also suggests that the CAM can be applied to major depression and social phobia, both characterized by negative affect changes. Here, we compare negative affect variability between individuals with a variety of anxiety and depression diagnoses by measuring the levels and degree of change in the sentiment of their online communications.

Method

Participants were 1,853 individuals on Twitter who reported that they had been clinically diagnosed with an anxiety disorder (A cohort, n = 896)

SUBMITTER: Rutter LA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10881019 | biostudies-literature | 2024

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature