Why dysfunctional expectations in depression persist - Results from two experimental studies investigating cognitive...

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Clinical Psychology
• Cognitive Science

Background:

• Negative expectations are linked to depressive symptoms.
• Little is known about how dysfunctional expectations change in individuals with depression.
• This research addresses the persistence of expectations in major depressive disorder (MDD).

Purpose of the Study:

• To test if individuals with MDD maintain expectations despite disconfirming experiences, unlike healthy individuals.
• To investigate cognitive immunization as a mechanism for expectation persistence in depression.

Main Methods:

• Study 1: Compared expectation change in individuals with MDD (N=58) versus healthy controls (N=59) after receiving feedback contradicting their expectations.
• Study 2: Examined the role of cognitive immunization in expectation change among individuals with elevated depressive symptoms (N=59) by manipulating appraisal of feedback.

Main Results:

• Healthy individuals adjusted expectations upon disconfirming feedback, while those with MDD did not.
• Cognitive immunization significantly influenced expectation change, highlighting its role in maintaining expectations.
• Group differences in expectation change were specific to disconfirming feedback.

Conclusions:

• Individuals with depression struggle to alter expectations following disconfirming experiences more than healthy individuals.
• Cognitive immunization may be a key mechanism driving expectation persistence in depression.
• Psychotherapeutic strategies should target inhibiting cognitive immunization to improve expectation change in depression.