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Mood-induced changes on the Implicit Association Test in recovered depressed patients
M C Gemar1, Z V Segal, S Sagrati
1Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto and Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Ontario, Canada.
Journal of Abnormal Psychology
|May 19, 2001
Summary
Formerly depressed individuals showed increased dysfunctional attitudes and negative self-bias after a negative mood induction. These cognitive changes mirror those in current depression, suggesting mild negative moods can reinstate depressive features.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive psychology
- Clinical psychology
- Neuroscience
Background:
- Depression is associated with cognitive biases and dysfunctional attitudes.
- Understanding cognitive processing in formerly depressed individuals is crucial for relapse prevention.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate dysphoria-related changes in cognitive processing in formerly depressed individuals.
- To compare cognitive changes in formerly depressed individuals to never-depressed controls and currently depressed individuals.
Main Methods:
- A mood induction paradigm was used to induce negative mood.
- Participants completed the Dysfunctional Attitudes Scale (effortful processing) and the Implicit Association Test (automatic evaluative bias).
- Measures were taken before and after mood induction in formerly depressed patients and controls.
Main Results:
- Formerly depressed individuals showed increased dysfunctional attitudes and a more negative evaluative bias after mood induction compared to controls.
- No association was found between mood-linked changes in attitudes and evaluative bias.
- The observed shift in evaluative bias in formerly depressed individuals resembled that of currently depressed individuals.
Conclusions:
- Mild negative mood can reinstate cognitive features associated with depression in formerly depressed individuals.
- Cognitive vulnerabilities may persist even after recovery from depression.
- These findings highlight the importance of cognitive factors in depression relapse.