Object Relations and Core Conflictual Relationship Theme in Patients with Major Depression and Normal Individuals

Objective: The present study aimed to evaluate the object relations and core conflictual relationship theme in depressed patients and compare them with normal individuals. Method: Thirty people with major depressive disorder and thirty normal individuals were selected using the convenience sampling method with structured clinical Interviews (SCID-I & SCID-II) and the psychiatric Symptoms Checklist (SCL-90-R) based on inclusion and exclusion criteria. Bell Object Relations Inventory (BORI) and Central Relationship Questionnaire (CRQ) were used to investigate study variables. Data were analyzed by multivariate variance analysis. Results: The results of multivariate analysis of variance showed that there was a significant difference between the depressed and normal groups in the four subscales of object relationships (Egocentricity, insecure attachment, social incompetence, and alienation). Findings related to the Central Relationship Questionnaire (CRQ) indicated that depressed patients in all three components of Wishes (higher tendency to aggression and reluctance to intimacy), Response from the Other (perception of significant others' being annoying and not receiving love from them) and Response of self (distance and lack of sense of independence and success) had a significant difference and a higher mean compare with the normal group. Conclusion: The findings of this study indicated that the style of object relationships and some Core Conflictual Relationship themes in depressed patients is pathological, and these patients can be treated by identifying these styles and themes in therapeutic interventions.