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Implicit and explicit self-esteem in currently depressed individuals with and without suicidal ideation
Erik Franck1, Rudi De Raedt, Mieke Dereu
1Department of Psychology, Ghent University, Henri Dunantlaan 2, B 9000 Ghent, Belgium. erik.franck@ugent.be
Journal of Behavior Therapy and Experimental Psychiatry
|July 11, 2006
Summary
Depressed individuals with suicidal ideation show a unique pattern of high implicit and low explicit self-esteem. This contrasts with depressed individuals without suicidal ideation and non-depressed controls, offering new insights into self-esteem in depression.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Clinical Psychology
- Psychiatry
Background:
- Self-esteem is a critical factor in mental health.
- Depression is often associated with diminished self-esteem.
- The interplay between implicit and explicit self-esteem in depression, particularly with suicidal ideation, requires further investigation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the relationship between implicit and explicit self-esteem in currently depressed individuals.
- To compare self-esteem levels in currently depressed individuals with and without suicidal ideation against non-depressed controls.
- To explore the specific self-esteem profile associated with suicidal ideation in depression.
Main Methods:
- Assessment of implicit self-esteem.
- Assessment of explicit self-esteem.
- Comparison of self-esteem measures across three groups: currently depressed with suicidal ideation, currently depressed without suicidal ideation, and non-depressed controls.
Main Results:
- Currently depressed individuals with suicidal ideation exhibited high implicit and low explicit self-esteem, indicating a significant discrepancy.
- Currently depressed individuals without suicidal ideation showed low implicit and low explicit self-esteem.
- Non-depressed controls displayed normal levels of both implicit and explicit self-esteem.
Conclusions:
- A distinct pattern of high implicit and low explicit self-esteem characterizes depressed individuals with suicidal ideation.
- The findings highlight the importance of assessing both implicit and explicit self-esteem to understand depression and suicidal ideation.
- This research offers novel insights into the complex nature of self-esteem dynamics in major depressive disorder.
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