Distant and Distressed: Interpersonal Problems in Anxiety and Depression

Interpersonal functioning has a complex, bidirectional relationship with mental disorders such as anxiety and depression. The Inventory of Interpersonal Problems (IIP) assesses aspects of interpersonal functioning, including general interpersonal distress and interpersonal styles. In this study, we aimed to better understand how these aspects relate to anxiety and depression by (1) comparing interpersonal distress and style in individuals with current, past, and no lifetime anxiety and/or depression, and (2) examining how interpersonal styles relate to the comorbidity and chronicity of anxiety and depression.

Participants (N = 1800) were drawn from the 9-year follow-up of the Netherlands Study of Depression and Anxiety. Diagnostic data from baseline until the 9-year follow-up were used to determine diagnoses and chronicity. General interpersonal distress and style were derived from the IIP using the Structural Summary Method. Participants were grouped into four interpersonal style subtypes corresponding to the quadrants of the interpersonal circumplex.

Currently diagnosed participants reported higher general interpersonal distress and a more submissive style than those with past and no lifetime anxiety/depression. As predicted, a cold-submissive style was associated with greater comorbidity and chronicity, also after adjusting for demographics.

This study extends prior research on how patients' interpersonal style relates to psychopathology by using longitudinal, transdiagnostic data of individuals across different symptomatic stages. Our findings indicate that a cold-submissive style is relatively common in more comorbid and chronic anxiety and depressive disorders. This highlights the clinical value of integrating interpersonal assessment into treatment planning.