Specificity of Future Thinking in Depression: A Meta-Analysis.

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Clinical Psychology
• Cognitive Neuroscience

Background:

• Reduced specificity of autobiographical memory is a known characteristic of depression.
• The extension of this overgenerality to future thinking has not been extensively meta-analyzed.

Purpose of the Study:

• To conduct a meta-analysis on the relationship between depression and the specificity of future thinking.
• To investigate potential moderator variables influencing this relationship.

Main Methods:

• Systematic search of six electronic databases, Google Scholar, and personal libraries.
• Inclusion of studies matching terms for depression, future thinking, and specificity.
• Random-effects meta-analytic modeling of 46 studies (89 effect sizes, 4,813 participants).

Main Results:

• A small but robust negative correlation was found between reduced future specificity and higher levels of depression (r = -.13, p < .001).
• Depression was linked to reduced specificity for positive future thinking, but not negative or neutral future thinking (p < .001).
• The relationship was stronger in samples with a higher proportion of males (p = .025).

Conclusions:

• Overgenerality in future thinking is a correlate of depression.
• The emotional valence of future thoughts and participant sex are significant moderators.
• Highlights the need for further research into altered prospection in depression and dysphoria.