Sustaining attention in affective contexts during adolescence: age-related differences and association with elevated symptoms of depression and anxiety

Sustained attention, a key cognitive skill that improves during childhood and adolescence, tends to be worse in some emotional and behavioural disorders. Sustained attention is typically studied in non-affective task contexts; here, we used a novel task to index performance in affective versus neutral contexts across adolescence (N = 465; ages 11-18). We asked whether: (i) performance would be worse in negative versus neutral task contexts; (ii) performance would improve with age; (iii) affective interference would be greater in younger adolescents; (iv) adolescents at risk for depression and higher in anxiety would show overall worse performance; and (v) would show differential performance in negative contexts. Results indicated that participants performed more poorly in negative contexts and showed age-related performance improvements. Those at risk of depression performed more poorly than those at lower risk. However, there was no difference between groups as a result of affective context. For anxiety there was no difference in performance as a function of severity. However, those with higher anxiety showed less variance in their reaction times to negative stimuli than those with lower anxiety. One interpretation is that moderate levels of emotional arousal associated with anxiety make individuals less susceptible to the distracting effects of negative stimuli.

Susceptibility to prosocial and antisocial influence in adolescence

Introduction

Adolescents are particularly susceptible to social influence and previous studies have shown that this susceptibility decreases with age. The current study used a cross-sectional experimental paradigm to investigate the effect of age and puberty on susceptibility to both prosocial and antisocial influence.

Methods

Participants (N = 520) aged 11–18 from London and Cambridge (United Kingdom) rated how likely they would be to engage in a prosocial (e.g. “help a classmate with their work”) or antisocial (e.g. “make fun of a classmate”) act. They were then shown the average rating (in fact fictitious) that other adolescents had given to the same question, and were then asked to rate the same behaviour again.

Results

Both prosocial and antisocial influence decreased linearly with age, with younger adolescents being more socially influenced when other adolescents’ ratings were more prosocial and less antisocial than their own initial rating. Both antisocial and prosocial influence significantly decreased across puberty for boys but not girls (independent of age).

Conclusions

These findings suggest that social influence declines with increasing maturity across adolescence. However, the exact relationship between social influence and maturity is dependent on the nature of the social influence and gender. Understanding when adolescents are most susceptible to different types of social influence, and how this might influence their social behaviour, has important implications for understanding adolescent social development.

What defines mindfulness-based programs? The warp and the weft

There has been an explosion of interest in mindfulness-based programs (MBPs) such as Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) and Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy. This is demonstrated in increased research, implementation of MBPs in healthcare, educational, criminal justice and workplace settings, and in mainstream interest. For the sustainable development of the field there is a need to articulate a definition of what an MBP is and what it is not. This paper provides a framework to define the essential characteristics of the family of MBPs originating from the parent program MBSR, and the processes which inform adaptations of MBPs for different populations or contexts. The framework addresses the essential characteristics of the program and of teacher. MBPs: are informed by theories and practices that draw from a confluence of contemplative traditions, science, and the major disciplines of medicine, psychology and education; underpinned by a model of human experience which addresses the causes of human distress and the pathways to relieving it; develop a new relationship with experience characterized by present moment focus, decentering and an approach orientation; catalyze the development of qualities such as joy, compassion, wisdom, equanimity and greater attentional, emotional and behavioral self-regulation, and engage participants in a sustained intensive training in mindfulness meditation practice, in an experiential inquiry-based learning process and in exercises to develop understanding. The paper's aim is to support clarity, which will in turn support the systematic development of MBP research, and the integrity of the field during the process of implementation in the mainstream.

Self-discrepancy in students with bipolar disorder II or NOS

BACKGROUND

Studies on self-representation in bipolar disorder have mainly focused on the single dimension of self-esteem and recruited patients either in episode or in remission. The aim of the study was to examine multi-dimensional aspects of the self (discrepancy between actual- and ideal-selves and between actual- and feared-selves) in a student sample with a history of significant experience of hypomania (with or without experience of major depression) as compared to healthy control students.

METHODS

Bipolar students and healthy control students completed the Self-Discrepancy Questionnaire (SDQ: Carver, Lawrence, & Scheier, 1999). The degree of similarity to, and the perceived likelihood of ideal-self and feared-self characteristics were assessed.

RESULTS

The difference between the groups in level of ideal-self similarity was at trend level. Students with prior hypomania but no history of depression showed higher similarity to their feared-self than healthy controls and also rated themselves as more likely to have these feared-self characteristics in the future.

LIMITATION

The small sample size, especially in the bipolar group with no history of depression, limits the power of the study.

CONCLUSIONS

The presence of ideal-self discrepancy was not convincingly demonstrated in this sample and it is possible that where it has been identified in previous studies it may, at least in part, represent a scar of previous episodes of depression or mania rather than a predisposing factor. However a sub-sample of students who had experienced hypomania in the absence of history of depression were distinguished from healthy controls in perceived closeness to the feared-self qualities. The feared-self concept warrants further investigation in bipolar patients.

Dysfunctional beliefs in bipolar disorder: hypomanic vs. depressive attitudes

BACKGROUND

To date the effect of cognitive behavioural therapy modified for bipolar disorder has been inconsistent and sometimes disappointing. However studies exploring cognitive style in bipolar disorder have not identified the unique patterns of beliefs specific to bipolar disorder. The current study examines whether Mansell's hypomania-related dysfunctional belief scale specifically identifies bipolar disorder patients.

METHOD

Forty remitted bipolar patients, twenty remitted unipolar patients and twenty healthy controls completed the Hypomanic Attitudes and Positive Prediction Inventory (HAPPI) and the Dysfunctional Attitude Scale (DAS).

RESULTS

The remitted bipolar group scored higher than the unipolar and healthy control groups on the HAPPI scale overall score and on three subscales that measured self-catastrophic beliefs, beliefs related to negative responses from other people when in elevated mood and beliefs related the response style to activation and elevation.

CONCLUSION

The study finds evidence of unique dysfunctional beliefs elevated only in remitted bipolar patients. Such findings could be used to inform the development of a specific cognitive behavioural therapy for bipolar disorder.

Mindfulness-based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) in bipolar disorder: preliminary evaluation of immediate effects on between-episode functioning

BACKGROUND

Bipolar disorder is highly recurrent and rates of comorbidity are high. Studies have pointed to anxiety comorbidity as one factor associated with risk of suicide attempts and poor overall outcome. This study aimed to explore the feasibility and potential benefits of a new psychological treatment (Mindfulness-based Cognitive Therapy: MBCT) for people with bipolar disorder focusing on between-episode anxiety and depressive symptoms.

METHODS

The study used data from a pilot randomized trial of MBCT for people with bipolar disorder in remission, focusing on between-episode anxiety and depressive symptoms. Immediate effects of MBCT versus waitlist on levels of anxiety and depression were compared between unipolar and bipolar participants.

RESULTS

The results suggest that MBCT led to improved immediate outcomes in terms of anxiety which were specific to the bipolar group. Both bipolar and unipolar participants allocated to MBCT showed reductions in residual depressive symptoms relative to those allocated to the waitlist condition.

LIMITATIONS

Analyses were based on a small sample, limiting power. Additionally the study recruited participants with suicidal ideation or behaviour so the findings cannot immediately be generalized to individuals without these symptoms.

CONCLUSIONS

The study, although preliminary, suggests an immediate effect of MBCT on anxiety and depressive symptoms among bipolar participants with suicidal ideation or behaviour, and indicates that further research into the use of MBCT with bipolar patients may be warranted.

Treatment-resistant depressed patients show a good response to Mindfulness-based Cognitive Therapy

Mindfulness-based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) is a class-based programme designed for use in the prevention of relapse of major depression. Its aim is to teach participants to disengage from those cognitive processes that may render them vulnerable to future episodes. These same cognitive processes are also known to maintain depression once established, hence a clinical audit was conducted to explore the use of MBCT in patients who were currently actively depressed, and who had not responded fully to standard treatments. The study showed that it was acceptable to these patients and resulted in an improvement in depression scores (pre-post Effect Size=1.04), with a significant proportion of patients returning to normal or near-normal levels of mood.

Recurrence of suicidal ideation across depressive episodes

BACKGROUND

In recent years it has become clear that depression is a recurrent disorder, with the risk of recurrence in those with two or more episodes being as high as 90%. This has prompted interest in the consistency of individual depressive symptoms across consecutive episodes, an issue that is important for symptoms such as suicidal ideation, where a past history may give important indicators of future behaviour.

METHODS

We prospectively examined 69 individuals with a history of Major Depression, over 12 months, 38 of whom experienced a recurrence of major depression during the follow-up period.

RESULTS

Spearman's rank order correlations between severity ratings of each symptom of major depression during a previous episode and severity ratings at recurrence showed significant associations for suicidality, guilt or worthlessness and thinking difficulties only. Weighted kappa coefficients indicated relatively low levels of agreement across episodes for most diagnostic symptoms, with suicidality showing the strongest relationship. Using a broad definition of suicidality-- any reporting of thoughts of death or suicide during episode-- a much higher level of agreement (kappa = .64) was found, with 83% of individuals falling into the same category (suicidal/non-suicidal) at both episodes.

LIMITATIONS

This study was based on a relatively small sample and examines re-emergence of suicidal ideation in the absence of suicidal behaviour.

CONCLUSIONS

This study provides preliminary evidence of cross-episode consistency in the recurrence of suicidal ideation, in line with the differential activation theory of suicidality in depression.

Problem-solving in suicide attempters

BACKGROUND

Recent research studies on the psychological processes underlying suicidal behaviour have highlighted deficits in social problem-solving ability, and suggest that suicide attempters may, in addition, be passive problem-solvers. The aim of this study was to examine problem-solving in suicide attempters (including passivity) and to see whether the deficits are mood-dependent.

METHOD

Two groups, a suicide attempter group and a non-suicidal psychiatric control group completed measures of depression, hopelessness, suicidal ideation and social problem-solving ability shortly after admission, and again 6 weeks later. In addition, a non-psychiatric control group provided baseline data at a single time point.

RESULTS

The suicide attempter group displayed poorer problem-solving ability than matched psychiatric controls and this difference persisted despite change in mood. However, although suicidal patients were more passive in their problem-solving style than non-psychiatric controls, they were not significantly more passive than psychiatric controls. Problem-solving did not change with improving mood.

CONCLUSIONS

Although passivity is not unique to suicidal patients, in combination with the smaller number and less effective alternatives generated, it may increase vulnerability.

Autobiographical memory and emotion in a non-clinical sample of women with and without a reported history of childhood sexual abuse

OBJECTIVES

This study focused on the relationship between reported CSA history, subsequent autobiographical memory retrieval, intrusive and dysfunctional thoughts, and mood in a non-clinical sample. The main hypothesis was that specificity in autobiographical memory recall would differentiate between women with a reported history of CSA and those without, and that this finding would be independent of current mood.

DESIGN

A between-group comparison of women (female undergraduates) with and without a reported history of CSA. Within group correlations were also examined for the reported CSA group.

METHOD

Participants were 79 female students, of whom 22 (28%) reported a history of CSA. All participants completed questionnaires requesting information on a history of CSA, a questionnaire version of the autobiographical memory test, the profile of mood states, the dysfunctional attitude scale, and the impact of events scale.

RESULTS

The reported CSA group gave significantly fewer specific autobiographical memories, were significantly more anxious, depressed and angry, and held more dysfunctional beliefs than the comparison group. However, specificity of memory was not correlated with the degree of this mood disturbance or with the impact of event scale or extent of dysfunctional beliefs.

CONCLUSIONS

Models of the long-term effects of CSA should incorporate the effects CSA may have on subsequent retrieval for memory of non-abuse events. To improve treatment outcome, clinicians may have to directly address these deficits in therapy.

Mood, eating behaviour and attention

BACKGROUND

Obesity is a growing health problem, but most people find dieting unsuccessful. Three studies examine possible reasons for the difficulty and the extent to which dieting-related reductions in cognitive function are associated with mood and well-being.

METHOD

In Study One, 49 female dieters were compared with a control group of 31 matched non-dieters on measures of well-being, mood, eating behaviour (Dutch Eating Behaviour Questionnaire), and attention. Study Two examined two measures of restraint to examine why previous studies find high restrainers are prone to react to emotion. Study Three experimentally manipulated mood using music and the standard Velten Induction Procedure to examine attention in restrainers and emotional eaters.

RESULTS

Dieting was found to be associated with deficits in sustained attention. This finding was further supported by the demonstration of a significant impairment in performance following a negative mood induction in high emotional eaters whereas high restrainers were relatively unaffected by the mood challenge.

CONCLUSIONS

We suggest that different aspects of eating behaviour have dissociable effects on cognitive-affective function. Trait tendencies to restrained eating are associated with attentional deficits, but are not further affected by mood disruption. It is the long-term tendency to eat when emotional that combines with current emotional state to trigger cognitive deficits.