Examining Working Memory Performance in Adult Psychosomatic Inpatients

Area of Science:

• Cognitive Psychology
• Clinical Psychology
• Psychosomatic Medicine

Background:

• Working memory (WM) impairments are common in psychosomatic and psychological disorders.
• The specific contributions of repetitive negative thinking (RNT), depressive symptoms, and patient characteristics to WM deficits remain unclear.
• This study investigates these factors in adult psychosomatic inpatients.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine the influence of RNT, depressive symptoms, and patient characteristics (age, work incapacity) on WM performance.
• To understand how these factors affect accuracy and reaction time in a WM updating task.

Main Methods:

• Seventy-six adult inpatients from a psychosomatic rehabilitation clinic participated.
• Participants completed a two-block working memory updating task.
• WM performance was assessed using accuracy and reaction time measures.

Main Results:

• WM accuracy and reaction time significantly declined from the first to the second block.
• Higher levels of RNT, increased depressive symptoms, and older age were associated with lower WM accuracy in the initial block.
• These factors did not significantly impact WM reaction time.

Conclusions:

• Clinical screening for high RNT, severe depression, and older age may identify patients with impaired WM.
• Early intervention targeting these patient characteristics can potentially enhance rehabilitation.
• Understanding these contributing factors is crucial for optimizing treatment in psychosomatic care.