Emotionally aligned: Preliminary results on the effects of a mindfulness-based intervention for depression on congruence between implicit and explicit mood

When depressed-be mindful of and kind to yourself: Self-compassion as mediator of change in a mindful depression treatment

Self-compassion as an outcome and potential mediator in mindfulness-based interventions has gained increased attention in the last years. However, most mediation studies had several methodological shortcomings which precluded robust conclusions regarding its mediating role. This randomized controlled study aimed to address these issues by assessing self-compassion, as proposed mediator and outcome, in a temporal sequence.

Eighty-one patients with current depression and work-related conflicts were randomly assigned to either an eight-week mindfulness-based day hospital treatment (MDT-DH; n = 47; including psychopharmacological treatment if necessary) or a waitlist control condition including a psychopharmacological consultation (PCC; n = 34). The outcome, depression severity, was assessed before, at mid-treatment and after the treatment while the proposed mediator, self-compassion, was measured at two week-intervals from before treatment until directly after treatment. Within-person and between-person mediation effects were analysed using multilevel structural equation modelling.

The results from the mediation models show that self-compassion (as a general factor) and two of its components (mindfulness of personal suffering and common humanity) increased and mediated the change in depressive symptoms over time.

This study provides preliminary support for self-compassion as a mediator of treatment effects on depression in a mindful depression treatment.

Using expectation violation models to improve the outcome of psychological treatments

Expectations are a central maintaining mechanism in mental disorders and most psychological treatments aim to directly or indirectly modify clinically relevant expectations. Therefore, it is crucial to examine why patients with mental disorders maintain dysfunctional expectations, even in light of disconfirming evidence, and how expectation-violating situations should be created in treatment settings to optimize treatment outcome and reduce the risk of treatment failures. The different psychological subdisciplines offer various approaches for understanding the underlying mechanisms of expectation development, persistence, and change. Here, we convey recommendations on how to improve psychological treatments by considering these different perspectives. Based on our expectation violation model, we argue that the outcome of expectation violation depends on several characteristics: features of the expectation-violating situation; the dynamics between the magnitude of expectation violation and cognitive immunization processes; dealing with uncertainties during and after expectation change; controlled and automatic attention processes; and the costs of expectation changes. Personality factors further add to predict outcomes and may offer a basis for personalized treatment planning. We conclude with a list of recommendations derived from basic psychology that could contribute to improved treatment outcome and to reduced risks of treatment failures.

Not self-aware? Psychological antecedents and consequences of alienating from one’s actual motives, emotions, and goals

Philosophers and scientists have been puzzling over the potential antecedents and consequences of self-awareness or its relative absence since time immemorial. One major reason is the difficulty of identifying individuals’ actual needs, emotions, or goals and thus making statements about their level of self-awareness. Drawing on a “duality of mind” approach, we review our research that quantified discrepancies between first-person perspective and third-person perspective assessments of motives (“needs”), emotions, and goals as indicators of relative self-awareness. Also, we expand on their proximal causes related to personality–situation interactions and their emotional and motivational consequences. We discuss similarities among the three branches of research on motives, emotions, and goals and, lastly, provide an outlook for future research.

Einfluss einer achtsamkeitsbasierten Depressionsbehandlung in einer Tagesklinik auf arbeitsbezogene Bewältigungsmuster bei depressiven Patientinnen und Patienten mit berufsbezogenen Konflikten

<b><i>Hintergrund:</i></b> Ziel der Studie war es, den Einfluss einer achtsamkeitsbasierten Depressionsbehandlung in einer Tagesklinik auf arbeitsbezogene Bewältigungsmuster bei Patientinnen und Patienten mit einer akuten depressiven Episode und berufsbezogenen Konflikten zu untersuchen. <b><i>Methode:</i></b> In einer Pilotstudie wurden 81 Patientinnen und Patienten mit einer mittelgradigen oder schweren depressiven Episode und berufsbezogenen Konflikten entweder einer tagesklinischen achtsamkeitsbasierten Depressionsbehandlung (mit psychopharmakologischer Medikation bei Bedarf, <i>N</i> = 47) oder einer Kontrollbedingung mit psychopharmakologischer Beratung (<i>N</i> = 34) zugeordnet. Arbeitsbezogene Bewältigungsstile und -muster wurden mit dem Fragebogen für arbeitsbezogenes Erlebens- und Verhaltensmuster (AVEM) zu drei Messzeitpunkten (Beginn, Ende und 8-Monats-Katamnese) untersucht, um gesundheitsgefährdende Risikomuster zu untersuchen. Zudem wurde die psychopathologische Symptombelastung anhand des Beck-Depressions-Inventars (BDI-II) und des Brief-Symptom-Inventory (BSI) gemessen. <b><i>Ergebnisse:</i></b> Die achtsamkeitsbasierte Depressionsbehandlung reduzierte die psychopathologische Symptombelastung signifikant und bewirkte eine positive Veränderung umschriebener gesundheitsgefährdender arbeitsbezogener Bewältigungsstile und Risikomuster hin zu gesundheitsförderlichen Bewältigungsstilen. <b><i>Diskussion:</i></b> Wenngleich Risikomuster durch die achtsamkeitsbasierte Depressionsbehandlung nur zum Teil abgebaut werden konnten, sind die Ergebnisse vielversprechend in Bezug auf gesundheitsförderliche Veränderungen einzelner arbeitsbezogener Bewältigungsstile wie “Verausgabungsbereitschaft”, “Perfektionsstreben”, “Distanzierungsfähigkeit” und “Innere Ruhe/Ausgeglichenheit”. <b><i>Schlussfolgerung:</i></b> Die psychiatrische Versorgung von Patientinnen und Patienten mit einer Depression sollte arbeitsbedingte Stressfaktoren und Konflikte und deren Bewältigung berücksichtigen. Das Behandlungskonzept schließt eine Lücke in der psychiatrischen Versorgung.