Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2023;92(2):133-138.
doi: 10.1159/000529784. Epub 2023 Mar 14.

Evaluating a Comprehensive Model of Euthymia

Jeffrey R Vittengl  1 , Robin B Jarrett  2 , Eunyoe Ro  3 , Lee Anna Clark  4
Affiliations

Evaluating a Comprehensive Model of Euthymia

Jeffrey R Vittengl et al. Psychother Psychosom. 2023.

Abstract

Introduction: In research and treatment of mood disorders, "euthymia" traditionally denotes the absence of clinically significant mood disturbance. A newer, expanded definition of euthymia also includes positive affect and psychological well-being.

Objective: We aimed to test this comprehensive model of euthymia and estimate the coherence and predictive power of each factor in the model.

Methods: Community-dwelling adults (N = 601), including both mental health outpatients and non-patients at high risk for personality pathology, completed a battery of interviews and questionnaires at time 1. Most (n = 497) were reassessed on average 8 months later (time 2). We modeled euthymia using standard mood, personality, and psychosocial functioning assessments rather than measures designed specifically for euthymia.

Results: The hypothesized model of euthymia was supported by confirmatory factor analysis: specific measures loaded on three lower order factors (mood disturbance, positive affect, and psychological well-being) that reflected general euthymia at time 1. Each factor (general euthymia plus lower order factors) demonstrated moderately strong concurrent (time 1) and predictive (time 1-2) correlations with outcomes, including employment status, income, mental health treatment consumption, and disability. Compared to positive affect and psychological well-being, mood disturbance had stronger incremental (i.e., nonoverlapping) relations with these outcomes.

Conclusions: Support for a comprehensive model of euthymia reinforces efforts to improve assessment and treatment of mood and other disorders. Beyond dampening of psychological distress, euthymia-informed treatment goals encompass full recovery, including enjoyment and meaning in life.

Keywords: Depression; Euthymia; Positive affect; Quality of life; Well-being.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Dr. Vittengl is a paid reviewer for UpToDate. Dr. Jarrett is a paid consultant to the NIH, NIMH, and UpToDate. Dr. Clark and Dr. Ro have no financial interests related to topics covered to declare.

Figures

Fig. 1.
Fig. 1.
Model of euthymia. All factor loadings are standardized and significant at p < 0.001.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Fava GA, Bech P. The concept of euthymia. Psychother Psychosom. 2016;85(1):1–5. 10.1159/000441244. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Fava GA, Guidi J. The pursuit of euthymia. World Psychiatry. 2020 Feb;19(1):40–50. 10.1002/wps.20698. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Guidi J, Fava GA. The clinical science of euthymia: a conceptual map. Psychother Psychosom. 2022;91(3):156–67. 10.1159/000524279. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Demyttenaere K, Donneau AF, Albert A, Ansseau M, Constant E, van Heeringen K. What is important in being cured from depression? Discordance between physicians and patients (1). J Affect Disord. 2015 Mar 15;174:390–6. 10.1016/j.jad.2014.12.004. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Frank E, Prien RF, Jarrett RB, Keller MB, Kupfer DJ, Lavori PW, et al. . Conceptualization and rationale for consensus definitions of terms in major depressive disorder. Remission, recovery, relapse, and recurrence. Arch Gen Psychiatry. 1991 Sep;48(9):851–5. 10.1001/archpsyc.1991.01810330075011. - DOI - PubMed