Embed Size (px)
DESCRIPTION
slides
Citation preview
Self-discrepancy monitoring and its impact on depressed
mood: an experimental investigation
Chiara Manfredi1,4 ,Gabriele Caselli1,2, Alina Decsei-Radu3, Daniela Rebecchi1, Giovanni M. Ruggiero1 & Sandra Sassaroli1
1 Studi Cognitivi, Cognitive Psychotherapy School and Research Center, Milan, Italy2 London South Bank University, UK3 University of Oradea, Romania 4 University of Pavia, Italy
Cognitive theories of depression
There is a greater risk for depression for people who exhibit a dispositional negative style and dysfunctional attitudes (Abramson et al., 1989; Beck 1987)
Can act as latent vulnerability factors for emotional and affective disorders (Mathews & MacLeod, 1994)
Self-Discrepancy Depressive symptoms discrepancy between actual
self and ideal self (e.g., Fairbrother and Moretti, 1998)
Anxious symptoms discrepancy between actual self and ought self (Scott and O’Hara, 1993)
Self Discrepancy Monitoring: a strategic and voluntary allocation of attention towards the monitoring of possible discrepancies between ideal and actual selves, even in positive experiences (Higgins, 1987)
It may represent a relevant process in discriminating between usual and transitional self-discrepancy experiences and the sustained negative evaluation of the self, others and future typical of depressed patients
What can SDM lead to? The hindering of positive emotional experiences
The re-orientation of attention towards the negative aspects of a situation
The influence upon conscious interpretations (discounting positive ones)
The enhancement of the frequency of negative triggers by focusing attention on negative content and, in turn, increasing the number of negative thoughts
Distinguishing SDM from other cognitive processes
Self Discrepancy MonitoringNegative intrusive thoughts
and memories
- Voluntary and non intrusive nature (Wells, 2008)- Not directly associated with instrumental behavior employed to control or eliminate the outcomes that can result from it (Wegner, Eich & Bjork, 1994)
Brooding- Repetitiveness - Activating stimuli - “what” vs. “why”
Pessimism
- Stability over time (Carver, Scheier & Segerstrom, 2010)- Global vision and negative expectancies vs. Intentional focus and search for elements of distance between current and ideal selves
Cognitive biases - Automatic interpretations
Background Previous experimental investigation (Caselli et
al., 2013) with 58 depressed people and 60 non-clinical subjects
Experimental induction of SDM after having retrieved a positive situation happened in the past
Negative mood and thoughts assessed before and after the induction
Results The effect of the induction on negative thoughts and mood was independent from the presence and the degree of depressive symptoms
Results: ANCOVA and Brooding
Looking at the overall effect of induction on change in negative mood and thoughts, the only significant interaction is Condition x Time (F = 25.69**).
Esperimental
Condition
Change in Brooding
Change in Mood
.38*
.30*
.36* (.47*)
Discussion SDM leads to a significant decrease in mood
and to a significant increase in negative thoughts independently on the severity and presence of depressive symptoms and not purely dependently on the concurrent change in levels of brooding.
These results may reflect the importance of the time spent in monitoring self-discrepancy, instead of the importance of the degree of discrepancy perceived by the person.
Possible SDM consequences• Direct effect: a frequent engagement in discrepancy
monitoring may lead to a reduction of positive reinforcement in everyday life, and to an impairment in self-reinforcement skills. As a consequence, even positive stimuli could become more and more perceived as triggers for a lowering of mood.
• Indirect effect: following a positive stimulus, individuals may re-orientate attention on the negative part of experience as an intermediate step for the resumption of negative attitudes (such as negative biased interpretations, pessimistic forecasts and ruminative brooding) which, in turn, can trigger negative thoughts or depressive sensations, worsening mood’s state.
• Hindering the degree of acceptance of alternative beliefs emerging from cognitive restructuring techniques. Functional beliefs could play the role of positive stimuli and act as a triggers for SDM.
Clinical implications Assessing SDM may be useful in identifying and
socializing a potential maladaptive cognitive strategy that could have an impact on mood, even independently from the diagnosis of depression
Address SDM may be beneficial for a reduction in negative emotion but also for enhancing the degree of acceptance of alternative beliefs emerging from cognitive restructuring techniques.
Study 1Construction of the Beliefs
about Self-Discrepancy Monitoring Scale
(BSDMS)
Methods 210 non-clinical subjects (110 females),
Mean age = 34.2 years (SD = 7.9). We created a set of 37 items rated on a
4-point likert agreement scale starting from clinical evidence and from the results collected in the previous study
The first pool of BSDMS items included both reasons for focusing on the negative part of experience (21 items) and the reasons for not focusing on the positive one (16 items).
Results A principal component method of factor
extraction was performed on the scores of the 37 BSDM items
BSDMS has shown a four-factors solution, presented in Table 1, composed by 23 items and accounting for 65.14% of variance.
BSDMS showed a good internal consistency (α = .895).
Factor 1 (31.27%):Impossibility to controlAlpha = 0.91Mean inter-item correlation: 0.61
Factor 2 (17.30%):Self-OrganizationAlpha = 0.89Mean inter-item correlation: 0.51
Factor 3 (10.55%): Low personal standardAlpha = 0.84Mean inter-item correlation: 0.58
Factor 4 (6.03%):Self-WorthAlpha = 0.76 Mean inter-item correlation: 0.47
Principal Component Analyses with Promax Rotation showing a 4 factors solution with eigenvalues >1.
Examples of itemsResults show the presence of four factors that represent beliefs about:The impossibility to control the tendency to monitor self-discrepancy (I cannot decide to start or stop monitoring, it’s out of my will)The need to self-monitor discrepancies in order to get more organized (Monitoring is useful because it helps me to cope and prevent possible failures)The decision of keep low standards for the self, trying to avoid possible failures or frustration (I’d better go on focusing on the discrepancy in order to be prepared to face the worst case scenario)A worth-related component, implying honesty and the importance of focusing on the lacking self, in order to be a more virtuous person (I must focus on the lacking part because I think it is incorrect focusing on the positive one).
Study 2Preliminary Examination of
Predictive and Divergent Validity of the BSDMS
Methods 300 non-clinical subjects (150 females),
mean age = 42.63 years (SD = 13.66). The sample completed the 23-items BSDMS
and was assessed about: mood (BDI) the tendency to ruminate (RRS) positive and negative beliefs about rumination
(PBRS and NBRS) beliefs about Cognitive Self-Consciousness,
Uncontrollability and danger and Need to control thoughts (MCQ-30, subscales 3, 4 and 5).
ResultsBSDMS BDI MCQ-30 PBR
SNBR
S2 3 4 3 4 5
1. Impossibility to control
.415** .566**
.492**
.314**
.303** .364** .263**
.339**
.376**
2. Self-Organization .362**
.253**
.078 .193** .319** .387**
.486**
.140*
3. Low Personal Standards
.684**
.396**
.278** .426** .321**
.363**
.287**
4. Self-Worth -296**
.269** .381** .255**
.269**
.261**
Correlations between BSDMS and other measures (n=300) * p<.05 ** p<.01
All the BSDMS components identified positively and significantly correlate one to the other, and to all the metacognitive beliefs investigated.
All the subscales, with the only exception of Self-Organization, correlate to negative mood.
Conclusions and limits
The higher correlation among subscales is the one between negative beliefs about focusing on the positive side of experience (subscales 3 and 4), while all the correlations with other constructs are moderate, thus non redundant or overlapping.
Need to replicate and extend the same data collection among clinical populations (in progress).
Clinical Implications Possibility to screen patients about
metacognitive beliefs that could sustain and enhance the tendency to use SDM as a strategic and voluntary re-allocation of attention
Moreover, it is important to identify and socialize with patients their metacognitive beliefs, that could hinder positive effects of psychotherapy and the efficacy of cognitive techniques.
