Cognitive Psychology Commons^™

Interpretation Bias Toward Ambiguous Information In Burnout And Depression, Renzo Bianchi, Eric Laurent, Irvin Sam Schonfeld, Jay Verkuilen, Chantal Berna

Publications and Research

Burnout has been defined as a job-related syndrome combining pervasive fatigue and loss of motivation. In recent years, evidence has mounted that burnout may reflect a depressive condition. In this study, we expanded on past investigations of burnout-depression overlap by focusing on interpretation biases toward ambiguous information among the two entities. We conducted a web-based study involving 1056 participants (83% female; mean age: 42.87). Burnout symptoms were assessed with the Shirom-Melamed Burnout Measure and depressive symptoms with the PHQ-9. The Ambiguous Scenarios Test (AST), a measure of interpretation bias validated among dysphoric individuals, was the outcome of interest. The AST …

Relationship Of Optimism And Suicidal Ideation In Three Groups Of Patients At Varying Levels Of Suicide Risk, Jeff C. Huffman, Julia K. Boehm, Scott R. Beach, Eleanor E. Beale, Christina M. Dubois, Brian C. Healy

Psychology Faculty Articles and Research

Optimism has been associated with reduced suicidal ideation, but there have been few studies in patients at high suicide risk. We analyzed data from three study populations (total N=319) with elevated risk of suicide: (1) patients with a recent acute cardiovascular event, (2) patients hospitalized for heart disease who had depression or an anxiety disorder, and (3) patients psychiatrically hospitalized for suicidal ideation or following a suicide attempt. For each study we analyzed the association between optimism (measured by the Life-Orientation Test-Revised) and suicidal ideation, and then completed an exploratory random effects meta-analysis of the findings to synthesize this data. …

Slam Poetry: An Online Intervention For Treating Depression, Spencer J. Ruchti, Mercedes Becker, Cara Mckee, Austin Herron, Alex Swalling

Undergraduate Theses, Professional Papers, and Capstone Artifacts

Given that depression is the “leading cause of disability worldwide,” and that less than 50% of people suffering from depression receive treatment, this study aims to provide support for a globally accessible depression treatment (WHO, 2012). The study conducted implemented an internet-based treatment for depression in which users were provided an opportunity to watch slam poetry videos related to mental health issues and write free responses regarding the content of the videos and their subjective experience of depression. Numerous studies provide support for the effectiveness of expressive writing, online mental health interventions, and slam poetry in particular for reducing symptoms …

An Examination Of The Relationship Between Psychological Distress And Risky Sexual Behaviors Among A Treatment-Seeking Opioid-Dependent Population, Hayley M. Smith

USC Aiken Psychology Theses

Substance abusing populations are at an increased risk for disease transmission and have higher rates of psychological comorbidity compared to the general population (e.g., Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC], 2012a; Chaudhury & Singh, 2009; Des Jarlais, Semaan, & Arasteh, 2011; Goodwin & Stein, 2013). Numerous studies have implicated the interaction of psychological distress and risky sexual behaviors in the increased risk of disease transmission, however, several studies have not found this association. It has been suggested that there may be curvilinear relationship between psychological distress and risky sexual behaviors but this theory has yet to be tested. The …

Integrating Beck’S Cognitive Model And The Response Style Theory In An Adolescent Sample., Stephanie Winkeljohn Black, Patrick Pössel

Faculty and Staff Scholarship

Depression becomes more prevalent as individuals progress from childhood to adulthood. Thus, empirically supported and popular cognitive vulnerability theories to explain depression in adulthood have begun to be tested in younger age groups, particularly adolescence, a time of significant cognitive development. Beck’s cognitive theory and the response style theory are well known, empirically supported theories of depression. The current, two-wave longitudinal study (N = 462; mean age = 16.01 years; SD = 0.69; 63.9 % female) tested various proposed integrative models of Beck’s cognitive theory and the response style theory, as well as the original theories themselves, to determine if …

Analysis Of Gender Differences In Self-Statements And Mood Disorders, Robert Devore

McNair Scholars Research Journal

Over 25% of adult Americans suffer from a mental disorder each year, with depression and anxiety being some of the most commonly reported issues. Researchers estimate that between 10% and 50% of adult Americans will suffer from a depressive episode at some point in their life, and cognitive theorists argue that mental states, including disorders, are generated and maintained by personal, subjective beliefs, and that events can only be appropriately labeled by the individual experiencing them. Thus, cognitive theorists suggest a strong link between self-talk (ST) and behavior and note that the automatic use of ST is associated with disordered …

Treating Severely Depressed Adolescents With Integrated, Relational, Cognitive Therapy, Gary A. Sibcy

Faculty Publications and Presentations

No abstract provided.

Traumatic Brain Injury: The Relationship Of Psychosocial Variables And Location Of Injury To Post-Injury Depression, Alicia L. Smith

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) affects nearly 1.4 million people in the United States annually, and of these, 10% to 77% will experience post-injury depression. Psychosocial variables such as previous substance and alcohol abuse, prior mental illness, low educational attainment, and poverty have been identified as possible risk factors. Additionally, the location of injury appears to play a key role particularly if the injury occurs in the left hemisphere. This study examined archival data from brain-injured patients in an effort to better understand the factors related to post-TBI depression. Past medical records of brain-injured adults (N = 52) were reviewed …

Attentional Processes Associated With Victimization History And Posttraumatic Symptomatology In Women Exposed To Intimate Partner Violence, Ryan B. Matlow

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Exposure to intimate partner violence (IPV) puts women at risk for severe and chronic physical and mental health consequences, including elevations in IPV-related psychopathology and increased risk for future victimization. Previous research has examined attention as one of the key information processing mechanisms associated with elevated psychopathology and risk for victimization; however, the nature of attentional processing in response to IPV-related information in women exposed to IPV is poorly understood. Therefore, the current study aimed to further understanding of associations between attentional processing, IPV exposure, and related distress using measures of eye movement and subjective interpretations of IPV-related information. A …

Effort-Related Choice Behavior Is Affected By Pharmacological Manipulations Associated With Depression: The Effects Of Tetrabenazine, Megan Huizenga

Honors Scholar Theses

In humans, psychiatric symptoms such as anergia and psychomotor retardation reflect pathologies in behavioral activation. These motivational symptoms are fundamental aspects of depression and other disorders. Drugs such as reserpine and tetrabenazine deplete monoamines, including dopamine, and induce depressive like behaviors in humans. Our results indicate that administration of low doses of tetrabenazine can alter effort-related choice behavior, biasing animals towards low effort alternatives. These findings may be related to the ability of monoamine depleting agents such as tetrabenazine to blunt behavioral activation and induce psychomotor retardation, anergia and fatigue in humans, and this research could be useful for the …

Bridging The Gaps : An Attempt To Integrate Three Major Cognitive Depression Models., Patrick Pössel, Kerstin Knopf

Faculty and Staff Scholarship

There are obvious similarities between the cognitive constructs of Beck’s cognitive theory, the hopelessness model, and the response styles theory. No single comprehensive model has yet integrated the core cognitive concepts of these theories, however. In order to develop such an integrative cognitive model, we conducted two independent studies with 588 and 606 participants, respectively, from a university population. Both studies support the idea that all cognitive constructs of the three models are distinct from each other. Furthermore, both studies provide evidence for the possibility an integration of the constructs in one cognitive model. If future studies replicate these findings, …

Cognitive Triad As Mediator In The Hopelessness Model? : A Three-Wave Longitudinal Study., Patrick Pössel, S. Denise Thomas

Faculty and Staff Scholarship

Several authors proposed that all elements of Beck’s cognitive triad (1976) mediate the associations between inference style as described in the hopelessness model (Abramson, Alloy, & Metalsky, 1989) and depressive symptoms. Results of a 3-wave longitudinal study indicate only a partial mediation model with all elements of the cognitive triad being associated with all inference styles, with depressive symptoms fitting the data best. Controlling for direct and indirect effects, no individual element of the cognitive triad mediates the association between inference styles and depressive symptoms. The partial mediation model is not stable across sex or clinical vs subclinical samples. In …

Bidirectional Relations Of Religious Orientation And Depressive Symptoms In Adolescents : A Short-Term Longitudinal Study., Patrick Pössel, Nina C. Martin, Judy Garber, Aaron W. Banister, Natalie K. Pickering, Martin Hautzinger

Faculty and Staff Scholarship

Religious orientation can be divided into intrinsic and extrinsic: intrinsically oriented individuals “live their religion,” whereas extrinsically oriented individuals practice religion mainly to gain external benefits. In adults, depression has been found to correlate negatively with intrinsic religious orientation and positively with extrinsic orientation. Studies of the relation between religiosity and depression typically have not been longitudinal, conducted with adolescents, controlled for the influence of other factors associated with depression (i.e., negative cognitions), or examined the reverse relation of depression predicting religious orientation. Our four-month longitudinal study of 273 ninth-grade students addressed these issues. Results showed that higher intrinsic religious …

Pharmacological Reversal Of Cognitive Bias In The Chick Anxiety-Depression Continuum Model, Kristen Anne Hymel

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Cognitive bias is a phenomenon that presents in clinical populations where anxious individuals tend to adopt a more pessimistic interpretation of ambiguous aversive stimuli and depressed individuals not only tend to adopt a more pessimistic interpretation of ambiguous aversive stimuli, but also a less optimistic interpretation of ambiguous appetitive stimuli. Such biases have also been pharmacologically reversed in clinical trials. To measure cognitive bias in the chick anxiety-depression continuum model, chicks exposed to an isolation stressor of 5 min to induce an anxiety-like or 60 min to induce a depressive-like state were then tested in a straight alley maze to …

Cognitive Error Questionnaire (Ceq) : Psychometric Properties And Factor Structure Of The German Translation., Patrick Pössel

Faculty and Staff Scholarship

A central component of Beck et al.’s (1979) cognitive theory of depression is faulty information processing reflected by so-called cognitive errors. These cognitive errors are the reason why depressed individuals systematically misinterpret the significance of events in a negative way. They are usually assessed with the application of the Cognitive Error Questionnaire (CEQ). This study examines the psychometric properties and factor structure of the German version of the CEQ in a sample of 796 volunteers at a German university. Results confirmed that the German CEQ has satisfactory to very good psychometric properties, like the American original. Confirmatory factor analyses demonstrated …

Cognitive Triad Inventory (Cti) : Psychometric Properties And Factor Structure Of The German Translation., Patrick Pössel

Faculty and Staff Scholarship

A central component of Beck, A. T., Rush, J., & Shaw, B. F. [(1979). Cognitive therapy of depression. New York: Guilford Press] cognitive theory of depression is the cognitive triad (negative view of self, world, and future) measurable with the Cognitive Triad Inventory (CTI). This study examined the psychometric properties and factor structure of the German CTI in a sample of 796 German volunteers. The study provides evidence for the reliability and validity of the German CTI and of independent positive and negative elements of the cognitive triad. Furthermore, results emphasize methodological above conceptual problems in Beck et al.'s (1979) …

Vergleich Zweier Schulbasierter Programme Zur Prävention Depressiver Symptome Bei Jugendlichen (Comparison Of Two School Based Depression Prevention Programs For Adolescents)., Patrick Pössel, Andrea B. Horn, Martin Hautzinger

Faculty and Staff Scholarship

Theoretischer Hintergrund: Depressive Störungen im Jugendalter sind ein weitverbreitetes Problem mit weitreichenden psychosozialen Folgen. Um beidem vorzubeugen wurde ein kognitiv-verhaltenstherapeutisches und ein auf dem Paradigma des Expressiven Schreibens beruhendes universales schulbasiertes Präventionsprogramm entwickelt. Fragestellung: Haben die beiden Präventionsprogramme positive Wirkung auf depressive Symptomatik und Lebenszufriedenheit Jugendlicher? Methode: Es wurde eine randomisierte Kontrollgruppenstudie mit 3-Monats Follow-up an 579 Realschülern und -schülerinnen der 8. Klasse durchgeführt. Ergebnisse: Das kognitiv-verhaltenstherapeutische Programm wirkt in Abhängigkeit der Ausgangssymptomatik kurz- bzw. mittelfristig auf die depressive Symptomatik, während das Schreibprogramm unabhängig von der Ausgangssymptomatik kurz- und mittelfristig positiv auf die Lebenszufriedenheit wirkt. Schlussfolgerungen: Trotz Einschränkungen in Bezug …

Influence Of General Self-Efficacy On The Effects Of A School-Based Universal Primary Prevention Program Of Depressive Symptoms In Adolescents : A Randomized And Controlled Follow-Up Study., Patrick Pössel, Christiane Baldus, Andrea B. Horn, Gunter Groen, Martin Hautzinger

Faculty and Staff Scholarship

Background:  Depressive disorders in adolescents are a widespread and increasing problem. Prevention seems a promising and feasible approach.

Methods:  We designed a cognitive-behavioral school-based universal primary prevention program and followed 347 eighth-grade students participating in a randomized controlled trial for three months.

Results:  In line with our hypothesis, participants in the prevention program remained on a low level of depressive symptoms, having strong social networks. The control group showed increasing depressive symptoms and a reduced social network. Contrary to our expectations, students low in self-efficacy benefited more from the program than high self-efficient students. Social network did not mediate the …

Universelle, Schulbasierte Prävention Der Depression Im Jugendalter : Ergebnisse Einer Follow-Up-Studie (Universal, School-Based Prevention Of Depression In Adolescence : Results Of A Follow-Up Study)., Gunter Groen, Patrick Pössel, Susanne Al-Wiswasi, Franz Petermann

Faculty and Staff Scholarship

Zahlreiche internationale empirische Befunde belegen heute, dass depressive Symptome und Störungen im Jugendalter ein weit verbreitetes, oftmals folgenreiches und ernst zu nehmendes Gesundheitsproblem darstellen. Depressive Jugendliche zeigen in vielen Fällen erhebliche Alltagsbeeinträchtigungen und verschiedene komorbide psychische Probleme. Sie tragen ein deutliches Risiko, auch in ihrer weiteren Entwicklung – bis in das Erwachsenenalter – unter anhaltenden oder wiederkehrenden depressiven Episoden, anderen psychischen Störungen und psychosozialen Beeinträchtigungen zu leiden (vgl. Groen & Petermann, 2002). Neben der persönlichen Leidensgeschichte der Betroffenen ist davon auszugehen, dass bereits depressive Störungen im Jugendalter mit hohen und längerfristigen öffentlichen Kosten zusammenhängen, die etwa durch notwendige Behandlungsmaßnahmen oder …