Abstract
BACKGROUND: Recovery from mood disorders is often evaluated primarily in terms of reductions in depressive symptoms. However, recovery is also thought to involve psychological changes, particularly in psychological resources such as resilience. The present study aimed to examine longitudinal changes in resilience and related psychological resources-self-compassion and loneliness-alongside depressive symptoms among psychiatric inpatients with mood disorders, and to explore the dynamics of psychological recovery during hospitalization. METHODS: Participants were patients with mood disorders (ICD-10 F3) admitted to a stress-care psychiatric ward in a collaborating hospital. Self-report psychological scales assessing depressive symptoms (SDS, BDI), loneliness (UCLA Loneliness Scale - short form), self-compassion (Self-Compassion Scale - short form), and resilience (RS) were administered at admission and discharge. Changes in psychological measures were calculated, and improvement patterns were examined based on score changes and predefined criteria. RESULTS: A total of 53 participants were included in the analysis. Significant improvements were observed in all psychological measures between admission and discharge. Improvements in depressive symptoms were observed in more than 90% of participants, whereas improvements in resilience were observed in approximately 70%. Changes in depressive symptoms were significantly associated with changes in resilience, self-compassion, and loneliness, although the associations with loneliness were relatively weaker. Changes in resilience were also positively associated with changes in self-compassion and loneliness. CONCLUSION: These findings suggest that improvements in depressive symptoms and improvements in psychological resources, including resilience, self-compassion, and loneliness, do not necessarily occur in parallel during the recovery process. The results highlight potential limitations of evaluating recovery solely based on symptom reduction and suggest the importance of considering multidimensional indicators of recovery that include psychological and social functioning.