Abstract
Objective: To explore the emotional characteristics of counterfactual thinking (CT)-related emotion responses in patients with major depressive disorder (MDD) via the “counterfactual thinking gambling task (CTGT).”Method: Twenty-five patients with MDD (the MDD group) and twenty-five healthy controls (the HC group) with matched demographic features were included. The 17-item Hamilton Depression Scale (HAMD) and the 14-item Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale (HAMA) were used to assess the severity of depression and anxiety symptoms. The counterfactual thinking gambling task was applied to assess the situation-focused- and behavior-focused-CT-related emotion responses in the MDD group and the HC group.Results: There was no significant difference in general demographic data between the two groups (p > 0.05). Compared with the HC group, the MDD group experienced higher levels of “disappointment” and lower levels of “joy” in the situation-focused CT paradigm (p < 0.05). However, the experience of “regret” and “relief” in the behavior-focused CT paradigm were not significantly different between the two groups (p > 0.05).Conclusions: MDD is associated with an impaired situation-focused-CT-related emotion responses, and is often accompanied by increased disappointment and decreased joy; however, behavior-focused-CT-related emotion responses are not significantly affected in MDD. This pattern may represent the characteristic CT-related emotion responses of MDD.
Highlights
According to some researchers, counterfactual thinking (CT) is a process of mentally generating alternatives to facts, with a key feature of an imagined better or worse counterpart of one’s current status (1)
The total scores of Hamilton Depression Scale (HAMD) and Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale (HAMA) were significantly higher in patients with major depressive disorder (MDD) than Healthy Controls (HCs) (P < 0.05)
The disappointment induced by situation-focused CT was significantly increased in the patients with MDD, compared with the HCs (P < 0.05) (Figure 3A), but the joy was significantly decreased (P
Summary
Counterfactual thinking (CT) is a process of mentally generating alternatives to facts, with a key feature of an imagined better or worse counterpart of one’s current status (1). When a result is randomly assigned rather than in line with one’s choice, individuals tend to compare different, randomly generated results of a particular situation. This is the basis of the situation-focused CT task (8), where the individual’s choice does not affect the result. When individuals are asked “What would have happened if the situation had been different?,” they may feel disappointed when the result fails to meet their expectations; and otherwise, they may feel joyful At this moment, individuals mainly engages in causal reasoning by means of external attribution, assuming that the unexpected results are not caused by their own choice but are more influenced by environmental or other factors
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
