Cognitive conflicts in major depression: between desired change and personal coherence
Guillem Feixas1, Adrián Montesano, Victoria Compañ
1Department of Personality, Assessment and Psychological Treatments, University of Barcelona, Spain; Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, University of Barcelona, Spain.
The British Journal of Clinical Psychology
|April 17, 2014
Summary
Cognitive conflicts, or implicative dilemmas, are more common in individuals with major depression. These internal conflicts correlate with increased symptom severity, lower functioning, and a history of suicide attempts in depressed patients.
Area of Science:
- Psychopathology
- Clinical Psychology
- Cognitive Science
Background:
- Intrapsychic conflict is a long-standing concept in psychopathology.
- Empirical research and elaboration on the significance of internal conflicts, particularly in depression, remain limited.
- This study focuses on cognitive conflict, defined as implicative dilemma (ID).
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the prevalence and relevance of cognitive conflicts in patients diagnosed with major depressive disorder.
- To utilize the Repertory Grid Technique for identifying cognitive conflicts (IDs).
Main Methods:
- A comparative study design contrasting individuals with major depressive disorder (MDD) and community controls.
- Assessment of 161 MDD patients and 110 non-depressed controls for the presence and content of IDs.
- Analysis of symptom severity, global functioning, and history of suicide attempts in relation to cognitive conflicts.
Main Results:
- Cognitive conflicts (IDs) were found in a larger proportion of depressive patients compared to controls.
- Depressed individuals with IDs exhibited a higher average number of conflicts and greater symptom severity.
- Within the clinical sample, IDs were associated with lower global functioning and a higher incidence of suicide attempts.
Conclusions:
- Cognitive conflicts are more prevalent in patients with depression and are linked to clinical severity.
- Assessing cognitive conflicts before therapy may facilitate personalized treatment planning for depressed patients.
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