[Sensation seeking and mood dimensions in depressive states]

This study presents the investigation of the relations between dimensions of depressive mood and sensations seeking in 55 hospitalized depressed subjects. The concept of sensation seeking, identified by M. Zuckerman as a personality dimension, has been defined as the need for the subject to reach his optimal level of activation. The four subscores of sensation seeking, relatively independent, are identified in the sensation seeking scale; they stand at different levels on the dimensions of activation and pleasure which are emotional dimensions. These emotional dimensions are investigated in the exploration of the emotional components of depressive mood; the different symptomatic regroupings, such as blunted affect or impulsivity, do not have the same relations with these dimensions. The sensation seeking concept appears fruitful to investigate the different troubles of affective dynamic, which stand on the expressive and behavioral level, and on the subjective level. As in several studies with normal populations, we find again the same inverse relation between age and sensation seeking, and men obtain higher scores on the Thrill and Adventure seeking factor and on the Desinhibition factor. Globally, depressed subjects have lower scores of sensation seeking than normal subjects (paired by age and sex); but the weakness of sensation seeking is not proportional to the intensity of depression (Hamilton Depressive Scale) and to the the intensity of anxiety (Covi Brief Anxiety Scale). Interesting relations appear with the depressive mood factors, which agree with previous studies of sensation seeking in psychology and psychopathology.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)