Experience sampling-based personalized feedback and positive affect: a randomized controlled trial in depressed...

Area of Science:

• Psychiatry and Mental Health
• Psychological Interventions
• Affective Science

Background:

• Positive affect (PA) is vital for depression development, course, and recovery.
• Previous research indicated that experience sampling method (ESM) with PA-focused feedback reduced depressive symptoms.
• This study aimed to confirm if PA increased during the intervention.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate if a PA-focused feedback intervention increases positive affect in patients with major depressive disorder.
• To compare the effects of PA-focused feedback, sham feedback, and treatment as usual on daily life positive and negative affect.

Main Methods:

• A multicentre parallel randomized controlled trial involving 102 outpatients with major depressive disorder.
• Participants were allocated to three groups: PA-focused feedback, pseudo-experimental feedback, or treatment as usual.
• Multilevel regression models analyzed the interaction between treatment and time on positive and negative affect.

Main Results:

• No significant increase in momentary positive affect was observed in the PA-focused feedback group compared to control groups.
• The pseudo-experimental group demonstrated a significant decrease in negative affect compared to the control group.
• 81 out of 102 patients completed the study protocol.

Conclusions:

• PA-focused feedback did not immediately enhance daily life positive affect in depressed patients.
• The observed reduction in depressive symptoms in prior studies may manifest later, suggesting a delayed effect on positive affect.
• The findings suggest that effects of PA-focused interventions on affect may evolve slowly.