Pattern integrations in young depressed women: Part I

The enduring patterns of interpersonal relations between young depressed women and their significant others create a theater for early interventions. As noted by Hildegard Peplau, interpersonal relations include patterns that are organized around appraisals from significant others, ultimately forming the internal sense of self-regard that is deeply disrupted in depression. Pattern integrations, or the “fit” of the woman and her significant others become maintained as a way of avoiding anxiety and negative appraisals. Complementary, mutual, alternating, and antagonistic patterns have been identified by Peplau, and the relationship to anxiety, the maintenance of self-worth, and the therapeutic use of these patterns by the nurse are explored.