How Changes in Depression and Anxiety Symptoms Correspond to Variations in Female Sexual Response in a Nonclinical Sample of Young Women: A Daily Diary Study

Introduction A large body of literature supports the co‐occurrence of depression, anxiety, and sexual dysfunction. However, the manner in which affective symptoms map onto specific female sexual response indices is not well understood. Aims The present study aimed to examine changes in depression and anxiety symptoms and their correspondence to fluctuations in desire, subjective arousal, genital response, orgasmic function, and vaginal pain. Methods The study used a 2‐week daily diary approach to examine same‐day and temporal relations between affective symptoms and sexual function. Main Outcome Measures The unique relations between shared and disorder‐specific symptoms of depression and anxiety (i.e., general distress, anhedonia, and anxious arousal) and female sexual response (i.e., desire, subjective arousal, vaginal lubrication, orgasmic function, and sexual pain) were examined, controlling for baseline levels of sexual distress, depression, and anxiety, as well as age effects and menstruation. Results Analyses revealed that changes in depression and anxiety severity corresponded to same‐day variations in sexual response. Specifically, anhedonia (depression‐specific symptom) was related to poorer same‐day sexual desire, whereas greater anxious arousal (anxiety‐specific symptom) was independently related to simultaneous increases in subjective sexual arousal, vaginal lubrication, and sexual pain. Increases in general distress (i.e., shared symptoms) were associated with greater same‐day difficulties achieving orgasm. Notably, only one temporal relation was found; it indicated that higher levels of anhedonia predicted a next‐day decrease in sexual desire. Conclusions It is proposed that the simultaneous changes in affective symptoms and sexual function may indicate that they are products of shared underlying mechanisms. That is, in response to stress, the processes manifesting as feelings of weak positive affect and amotivation are the very same processes responsible for diminished capacity for sexual desire. In contrast, the physiological hyperarousal associated with anxiety also gives rise to sexual arousal difficulties and vaginal pain. Kalmbach DA, Kingsberg SA, and Ciesla JA. How changes in depression and anxiety symptoms correspond to variations in female sexual response in a nonclinical sample of young women: A daily diary study. J Sex Med 2014;11:2915–2927.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/109992/1/jsm12692.pd

Testing the cognitive catalyst model of depression: Does rumination amplify the impact of cognitive diatheses in response to stress? Cognition and Emotion

Recent studies have found that rumination functions as a catalyst of cognitive vulnerability to depression. Specifically, these studies have reported synergistic effects between rumination and negative cognitive content (beliefs and attitudes), such that rumination amplifies the association between negative cognitive content and depression Keywords: Depression; Rumination; Negative cognition; Stress. Multiple cognitive-behavioural theories have been proposed in an attempt to explain the onset, maintenance, and recurrence of depression. For example, Correspondence should be addressed to: Jeffrey A. Ciesla, Ph.D., Department of Psychology, P.O. Box 5190, Kent State University, Kent, OH 44242-0001, USA. E-mail: [email protected] COGNITION AND EMOTION 2011, 25 (8) Recent evidence suggests that rumination works together with negative cognitive content in creating risk for depression When faced with life stressors, there are individual differences in coping. Some individuals respond with active problem solving, distraction using pleasant activities, or with avoidance via substance use, whereas others engage in rumination. Although the central thesis of the response styles theory suggests that this kind of repetitive thought worsens dysphoria, repetitive focus on an event or its emotional consequences is not universally maladaptive (see Why is it that some individuals can ruminate without experiencing negative outcomes, but other individuals cycle into depression? The cognitive catalyst model proposes that the answer concerns maladaptive beliefs relevant to depression. Consider an individual with high selfesteem, who makes self-protective attributions for stressors, and sees the world positively and optimistically. Inevitably, such a person will experience stress, rumination, and sadness. However, given their positive attributions and beliefs about themselves, ruminating may even bring to mind their feelings of self-efficacy and thoughts that the current situation is only temporary. In contrast, consider an individual who has low selfesteem, a tendency toward negative attributions, and pessimistic thoughts about the future. This person will also experience stress, sadness, and rumination. Yet, when this individual ruminates, pre-existing negative schemas will be brought to mind and continually activated. Consistent with multiple perspectives on how cognition influences depression (e.g., In earlier work (Ciesla & Roberts, 2002), we examined rumination, negative cognitions, and their interaction as predictors of outcome in cognitive-behavioural treatment for depression. Pre-treatment rumination interacted with two measures of negative content to predict change in depressive symptoms. Among individuals reporting high levels of negative content, rumination was associated with greater depression at the end of treatment. In contrast, among individuals reporting low levels of negative content, rumination was associated with less symptomatology. Further evidence for an interaction between rumination and negative content was reported by CIESLA, FELTON, ROBERTS 1350 COGNITION AND EMOTION, 2011, 25 (8) Individuals in the most dysfunctional quartile on both constructs made up a ''high-risk'' group and those in the last dysfunctional quartiles made up a ''low-risk'' group. Rumination was measured with the commonly used Response Styles Questionnaire (RSQ; We recently investigated the relationship between rumination and negative cognition in two laboratory studies Although the results of four previous studies have provided support for the cognitive catalyst model, additional questions remain. Importantly, the role of life stress has yet to be investigated. As previously noted, a diathesisÁstress relationship has been posited for both rumination (NolenHoeksema & Morrow, 1991) and negative cognitive content The present study was designed with the goal of creating a prospective parallel to the laboratory studies we previously conducted COGNITIVE CATALYST MODEL COGNITION AND EMOTION, 2011, 25 (8) METHOD Participants Participants were 191 individuals (106 females) recruited from introductory psychology courses at a large state university. Participants were screened using the BDI. In order to qualify for this study, students had to: (a) score a 10 or greater on the BDI, and (b) indicate the presence of at least one symptom related to the presence of sadness or anhedonia. 1 The mean age of the sample was 20.5 (SD04.9). The majority of participants were Caucasian (57%), followed by Asian (19%) and the remainder identified themselves as African American, Hispanic, Native American, or other. Measures Beck Depression Inventory Á II (BDI; Beck, Response Styles Questionnaire (RSQ; NolenHoeksema & Morrow, 1991). The 22-item rumination scale of the RSQ was used to measure aspects of depressive rumination. Participants report how often they engage in differing responses to depressed mood on a 4-point scale. Following the factor-analytic work of Treynor and colleagues Dysfunctional Attitudes Scale (DAS; Weissman Attributional Style Questionnaire (ASQ; Rosenberg Self-Esteem Questionnaire (RSE; Life Experiences Survey (LES; Procedure Individuals who met the study criteria were contacted and brought into the laboratory to complete questionnaires at Time 1 and were scheduled for a Time 2 appointment six weeks later. Of these, 149 (83 female) returned at Time 2 to complete these same questionnaires again. 1 Specifically, the items from the BDI used to indicate the presence of sadness or anhedonia were items 1 (sadness), 4 (loss of pleasure), 10 (crying), and 12 (loss of interest). CIESLA, FELTON, ROBERTS 1352 COGNITION AND EMOTION, 2011, 25 (8) Participants received course credit for their participation. RESULTS Preliminary analyses were conducted to examine if any demographic variables were significantly associated with the study variables. Age and ethnicity were not significantly associated with any of the measures. However, women had higher brooding scores, t(185) 02.33, pB.05, and showed a marginal trend toward higher Time 1 BDI scores, t(186) 0 1.90, p0.058. Importantly, individuals lost to attrition did not differ from those who completed the study on any variable. Overall, the mean BDI score decreased from 19.6 (SD 011.1) at Time 1 to 16.0 (SD 010.2) at Time 2, t(144) 05.00, pB.001. This change was anticipated given that depression is commonly episodic and some level of regression to the mean should be expected for a sample selected on the basis of having elevated BDI scores. Partial correlation was used to explore possible main effects of the study variables in predicting Time 2 BDI scores controlling for Time 1 BDI. Greater brooding (pr0.19, p B.05), dysfunctional attitudes (pr 0.26, pB.01), negative attributional style (pr0.28, pB.01), and life events (pr 0.26, pB.05) were associated with higher depressive symptoms at Time 2, whereas greater self-esteem was associated with lower depressive symptoms (pr0(.43, pB.001). In contrast, reflective pondering was not a significant predictor (pr 0.03, p0.75). Multiple regression was used to test the hypothesis that the interaction between rumination, negative cognitive content, and life stress would predict changes in BDI scores from Time 1 to Time 2. In each of the following regression models, Time 2 BDI was the dependent variable. At Step 1 of these models, Time 1 BDI was entered as a covariate. Step 2 then added one measure of rumination, one of negative cognitive content, and the LES. Step 3 then added the three two-way interaction terms. Finally, Step 4 added the three-way interaction between Rumination ) Negative cognitive content ) Life stress. When a significant three-way interaction was detected, we conducted simple slope tests examining the slope between stress and depression for combinations of individuals high versus low in rumination crossed with individuals high versus low in negative cognitive content. This asks whether individuals with these combinations of vulnerability are at risk for continued depression in the face of stress. Due to the large number of these simple slopes, we adopted a conservative standard (pB.01) for considering these results significant. Separate models for each of the three measures of content (self-esteem, dysfunctional attitudes, attributional style) were run to test the Brood ing )Stressful life events ) Cognitive content triple interaction in prospectively predicting change in depressive symptoms. As seen in Separate models for each of the three measures of content (self-esteem, dysfunctional attitudes, attributional style) were run to test the Reflection ) Stressful life events ) Cognitive content triple interaction in prospectively predicting change in depressive symptoms. As seen i

Self-esteem reactivity among mothers of children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder: The moderating role of depression history

This study examined self-esteem reactivity to a variety of contextual cues in a sample of women prone to depression. Participants were 49 mothers of children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. Across a 9-month time-period, participants completed weekly measures of self-esteem, perceived stress, positive and negative affect, and child disruptive behavior. Results indicated that mothers reported lower self-esteem during weeks they experienced greater stress, lower positive affect, higher negative affect, and more inattentive, overactive, and oppositional behavior in their children. Depression history moderated these relationships such that mothers with prior histories of depression reported greater self-esteem reactivity to these cues than never depressed mothers

A fetal tumor suppressor axis abrogates MLL-fusion-driven acute myeloid leukemia

MLL-rearrangements (MLL-r) are recurrent genetic events in acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and frequently associate with poor prognosis. In infants, MLL-r can be sufficient to drive transformation. However, despite the prenatal origin of MLL-r in these patients, congenital leukemia is very rare with transformation usually occurring postnatally. The influence of prenatal signals on leukemogenesis, such as those mediated by the fetal-specific protein LIN28B, remains controversial. Here, using a dual-transgenic mouse model that co-expresses MLL-ENL and LIN28B, we investigate the impact of LIN28B on AML. LIN28B impedes the progression of MLL-r AML through compromised leukemia-initiating cell activity and suppression of MYB signaling. Mechanistically, LIN28B directly binds to MYBBP1A mRNA, resulting in elevated protein levels of this MYB co-repressor. Functionally, overexpression of MYBBP1A phenocopies the tumor-suppressor effects of LIN28B, while its perturbation omits it. Thereby, we propose that developmentally restricted expression of LIN28B provides a layer of protection against MYB-dependent AML