Het modererend effect van zelfkritiek op de relatie tussen negatieve dagelijkse ervaringen en de geestelijke gezondheid

Objective: Depression is a common psychopathological disorder, which can be caused by several factors. Previous studies made clear that negative life events and self-criticism form vulnerabilities for developing a depression. Although much is known about risk factors of developing a depression, there is little information about vulnerabilities of mental well-being. This study researched whether negative life events are also a risk factor for mental well-being and whether the effect of negative life events on depression and mental well-being changes as an individual is more self-critical. It is hypothesized (1) that negative life events have a negative impact on depression, (2) respectively mental well-being, and (3) that self-criticism has a moderating effect on the association between negative life events and depression, (4) respectively mental well-being. Methods: Participants of this study consisted of 329 people from the general Dutch population. The participants filled in an online survey, consisting of several questionnaires on the amount of self-criticism (FSCRS), mental well-being (MHC-SF), the level of depression (HADS-D) and the experienced negative life events (SRLE) of an individual. Results: The results showed a significant positive correlation between negative life events and depression (r = .57) and a significant negative relation between negative life events and mental well-being (r = -.40). Self-criticism showed a moderating effect on the association between negative life events and the amount of depression (β = .05). Furthermore, it was found that self-criticism does not moderate the association between negative life events and mental well-being (β = -.01). Conclusion: This study showed that the severity of depression is higher and mental well-being is weaker if someone experiences more negative life events. These negative events were found to have a greater influence on the amount of depression when an individual is more self-critical. On mental-well-being, negative life events were found to have no greater influence in self-critical individuals. The study made clear how important it is for people suffering from depression to deal with self-criticism and negative experiences in practice. Key Words: Self-criticism, Negative life events, Depression, Mental well-being, Moderation