Experiences of anger in recovered and never depressed groups

Previous research has linked anger experience and expression style to depression. This study extended prior research by comparing people who had recovered from a major depression (RD) with those who had never been depressed (ND). The RD group significantly exceeded the ND group in the degree to which they reported holding anger in and being afraid to express it. Even when not in the midst of a depressive episode, those with a vulnerability to future depressions are more likely to suppress anger and be afraid to express it. Also, RD participants were more likely to endorse attitudes consistent with silencing the self theory, believing they must hide their feelings in order to preserve relationships. They were also more likely to have experienced an anger attack. These two factors related to the fear of expressing anger and were proposed as two possible reasons for the elevated fear in the RD group.