Cognitive Therapy For Depression Research Articles

Responsiveness to change in health status of the EQ-5D in patients treated for depression and anxiety

BackgroundThe EQ-5D is a commonly used generic measure of health but evidence on its responsiveness to change in mental health is limited. This study aimed to explore the responsiveness of the five-level version of the instrument, the EQ-5D-5 L, in patients receiving treatment for depression and anxiety.MethodsPatient data (N = 416) were collected at baseline and at end of treatment in an observational study in a Norwegian outpatient clinic. Patients were adults of working age (18–69 years) and received protocol-based metacognitive or cognitive therapy for depression or anxiety according to diagnosis. Responsiveness in the EQ-5D was compared to change in the Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II) and the Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI). Effect sizes (Cohen’s d), Standardised response mean (SRM), and Pearson’s correlation were calculated. Patients were classified as “Recovered”, “Improved”, or “Unchanged” during treatment using the BDI-II and the BAI. ROC analyses determined whether the EQ-5D could correctly classify patient outcomes.ResultsEffect sizes were large for the BAI, the BDI-II, the EQ-5D value and the EQ VAS, ranging from d = 1.07 to d = 1.84. SRM were also large (0.93-1.67). Pearson’s correlation showed strong agreement between change scores of the EQ-5D value and the BDI-II (rs -0.54) and moderate between the EQ-5D value and the BAI (rs -0.43). The EQ-5D consistently identified “Recovered” patients versus “Improved” or “Unchanged” in the ROC analyses with AUROC ranging from 0.72 to 0.84.ConclusionThe EQ-5D showed good agreement with self-reported symptom change in depression and anxiety, and correctly identified recovered patients. These findings indicate that the EQ-5D may be appropriately responsive to change in patients with depression and anxiety disorders, although replication in other clinical samples is needed.

The effectiveness of mindfulness-based cognitive therapy in depression and serum cortisol levels in women with breast cancer and depressed women

The effectiveness of mindfulness-based cognitive therapy in depression and serum cortisol levels in women with breast cancer and depressed women

Serial Mediators of Memory Support Strategies Used With Cognitive Therapy for Depression: Improving Outcomes Through Patient Adherence and Treatment Skills

Patient memory for treatment is poor. Memory support strategies can be integrated within evidence-based psychological treatments to improve patient memory for treatment, and thereby enhance patient outcomes. The present study evaluated possible mechanisms of these memory support strategies. Specifically, we tested whether therapist use of memory support strategies indirectly predicts improved patient outcomes via serial improvements in (a) patient adherence throughout treatment and (b) patient utilization and competency of treatment skills. Adults with major depressive disorder (N = 178, mean age = 37.93, 63% female, 17% Hispanic or Latino) were randomized to Cognitive Therapy plus a Memory Support Intervention or Cognitive Therapy-as-usual. Because therapists from both treatment groups used memory support strategies, data from conditions were combined. Blind assessments of depression severity and overall impairment were conducted before treatment, immediately posttreatment (POST), at 6-month follow-up (6FU), and at 12-month follow-up (12FU). Patient adherence to treatment was rated by therapists and averaged across treatment sessions. Patients completed measures of treatment mechanisms—namely, utilization and competency in cognitive therapy skills—at POST, 6FU, and 12FU. Results of serial mediation models indicated that more therapist use of memory support predicted lower depression severity at POST, 6FU, and 12FU indirectly and sequentially through (a) increased patient adherence during treatment and (b) more utilization and competency of Cognitive Therapy skills at POST, 6FU, and 12FU. The same patterns were found for serial mediation models predicting lower overall impairment at POST, 6FU, and 12FU. Together, boosting memory for treatment may represent a promising means to enhance pantreatment mechanisms (i.e., adherence and treatment skills) as well as patient outcomes.

‘I’m unlikeable, boring, weird, foolish, inferior, inadequate’: how to address the persistent negative self-evaluations that are central to social anxiety disorder with cognitive therapy

To recognise persistent negative self-evaluations as a key feature of SAD.To understand that persistent negative self-evaluations are central in the Clark and Wells (1995) cognitive model and how to formulate these as part of SAD.To be able to use all the experiential interventions in cognitive therapy for SAD to address these beliefs.

Supplemental Material for Association Between Decentering and Reductions in Relapse/Recurrence in Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy for Depression in Adults: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Supplemental Material for Association Between Decentering and Reductions in Relapse/Recurrence in Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy for Depression in Adults: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Negative mood regulation as a mechanism of change in cognitive therapy for depression.

The present study investigates the effects of negative mood regulation expectancies (NMRE) on symptom severity of depression in 2 cognitive therapies for depression. The sample included the first 146 consecutively recruited patients from a randomized controlled trial. Patients received 22 sessions of either cognitive-behavioral therapy or exposure-based cognitive therapy. They completed the Beck Depression Inventory and Negative Mood Regulation Scale at baseline and treatment termination, as well as after Sessions 7 and 14. Multilevel modeling was applied. We found a significant between-patient effect of NMRE on symptom severity of depression, when NMRE within-patient effects were set to random. There was no significant interactive effect of the between-patient NMRE with type of treatment. However, a significant moderation effect of the within-patient NMRE effect by treatment condition on depression severity was detected, with patients receiving cognitive-behavioral therapy benefiting more from improvements in NMRE. Together, these results empirically support NMRE as a relevant mechanism of change in cognitive therapy for depression. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).

Effects of patient-therapist interpersonal complementarity on alliance and outcome in cognitive-behavioral therapies for depression: Moving toward interpersonal responsiveness.

This study analyzed patient-therapist in-session interpersonal complementarity effects on the therapeutic alliance and depression severity during the initial and working phase of cognitive-behavioral therapy for depression. It also explored whether patients' interpersonal problems moderate those complementarity effects. We drew on a sample of 90 dyads derived from a randomized controlled trial of two cognitive-behavioral therapies for depression. Using an observer-based measure, we assessed patients' and therapists' interpersonal behavior in Sessions 1, 5, 9, and 13 and computed their complementarity regarding interpersonal affiliation (i.e., correspondence) and dominance (i.e., reciprocity). Patients completed measures of interpersonal problems at baseline and session-by-session measures of depression severity and quality of the therapeutic alliance. Response surface analyses based on polynomial regressions showed that patient-therapist complementarity in higher affiliative behaviors was associated with a stronger alliance. Interpersonal problems regarding agency moderated the complementarity effects of the dominance dimensions on depression severity. Overly dominant patients benefited more from a nonreciprocal relationship in the dominance dimension, whereas submissive patients benefited more from complementarity in that dimension. Furthermore, interpersonal problems of communion significantly moderated the effects of complementarity in affiliative behaviors on both the alliance and outcome. These results suggest the relevance of both interpersonal correspondence and reciprocity for the psychotherapy process, informing clinical practice in terms of interpersonal responsiveness. The moderation effects of interpersonal problems provide preliminary evidence, which should be replicated in future research, to determine relevant markers indicating for whom a complementary approach would be beneficial in cognitive therapy for depression. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).

The working alliance in blended versus face-to-face cognitive therapy for depression: A secondary analysis of a randomized controlled trial

IntroductionWe explored the working alliance as measured by both clients and therapists. The working alliance has been known to predict the outcome of psychotherapy and is often considered an important common factor. This study raised the question of how to conceptualize the working alliance in the blended format. MethodsThis was an exploratory study derived from a randomized controlled trial comparing bCBT and face-to-face cognitive behavioural therapy (ftf CBT) on depression. The change in depressive symptoms was measured with the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) and the working alliance was measured using the Working Alliance Inventory. AnalysesCorrelation coefficients were calculated for the working alliance as reported by clients and therapists, working alliance was then examined at item and dimension level (task, bond, goal). Linear regression models were applied to investigate the predictive value of the working alliance on treatment outcome. Interaction between the level of working alliance and treatment condition was also considered. ResultsClient and therapist working alliance ratings correlated at r = 0.44 and clients rated the working alliance higher than therapists (x̄clients = 48.6, x̄therapists = 44.6). ftf CBT and bCBT had comparable joint working alliance ratings (x̄ftf = 46.4, x̄bCBT = 46.8). Items had little deviation apart from item 4 with high positive values. The level of working alliance from the total sample did not significantly predict outcome based on the client's perspective. Contrarily, seen from the therapist's perspective, it did (b = 0.00, p = .044). Using the mean from these predictors as a composite variable, was also significant (b = 0.00, p = .039, R2adj = 0.07). There was no significant interaction with treatment condition. DiscussionClients and therapists may lay emphasis on different aspects of the working alliance. The finding that therapist-rated working alliance was better than client working alliance at predicting outcome went against common findings; this pattern may be specific to bCBT. ConclusionClients rated the working alliance slightly higher than therapists on average. Clients and therapists as well as treatment conditions had different profiles on dimension deviations. Therapist ratings of the working alliance appeared to better predict treatment outcome than client ratings. Joint working alliance predicted outcome using client and therapist composite means. The working alliance was equally strong in ftf CBT and bCBT. The absence of interaction with treatment condition indicated that the working alliance was equally predictive of outcome in ftf CBT as in bCBT.

Therapy Processes Associated With Sudden Gains in Cognitive Therapy for Depression: Exploring Therapeutic Changes in the Sessions Surrounding the Gains.

Background: The frequency and clinical impact of Sudden Gains—large symptom improvements during a single between-session interval—in psychotherapy for depression have been well established. However, there have been relatively few efforts to identify the processes that lead to sudden gains.Aim: To explore therapy processes associated with sudden gains in cognitive therapy for depression by examining changes in the sessions surrounding the gains, and the session preceding the gain in particular.Methods: Using ratings of video-recordings (n = 36), we assessed the content, frequency and magnitude of within-session cognitive-, behavioral-, and interpersonal change, as well as the quality of the therapeutic alliance in the session prior to the gain (pre-gain session), the session after the gain (post-gain session) and a control session. After that, we contrasted scores in the pre-gain session with those in the control session. In addition, we examined changes that occurred between the pre- and post-gain session (between-session changes) and explored patients' attributions of change.Results: Although not statistically significant, within-session changes were more frequent and stronger in the pre-gain session compared to the control session. The largest difference between the pre-gain and control session was found in the behavioral domain, and reached the level of trend-significance. There were more, and more impactful between-session changes in the interval during which the gain occurred as compared to a control interval. Exploratory analysis of attributions of change revealed eight subcategories, all corresponding with the cognitive-, behavioral- and interpersonal- domain. The quality of the therapeutic alliance was high and almost identical in all sessions.Conclusion: In spite of its small sample size, our study provides relevant descriptive information about potential precipitants of, themes related to, and attributions given for sudden gains. Furthermore, our study provides clear suggestions for future research. A better understanding of session content in the sessions surrounding sudden gains may provide insight into the mechanisms of change in psychotherapy, hereby suggesting treatment-enhancing strategies. We encourage researchers to conduct research that could clarify the nature of these mechanisms, and believe the methods used in this study could serve as a framework for further work in this area.

A Revised Theory of Sudden Gains in Psychological Treatments

Sudden gains were first defined and quantified by Tang and DeRubeis (1999) and were found to predict treatment outcome in cognitive therapy for depression. Since that seminal paper, over 100 examinations of sudden gains have been published and sudden gains have been found to be ubiquitous in psychological treatments and to consistently predict better treatment outcomes across a multitude of disorders and contexts (see Shalom & Aderka, 2020 for a review). The research on sudden gains has seen considerable growth over the past 20 years. However, the theory behind sudden gains (which addresses processes leading to sudden gains, and processes resulting from sudden gains) has never been revised. Based on the empirical research which has accrued over the last 20 years, we present an empirically-based revision of the theory of sudden gains. The revised theory addresses both predictors of sudden gains and processes that may lead to sudden gains, as well as the consequences of sudden gains and the processes by which sudden gains can affect outcome. We also present a number of hypotheses that can be derived from the theory as well as the status of empirical evidence supporting these hypotheses. Research and clinical implications are discussed.

Adding cognitive therapy to antidepressant medications decreases suicidal ideation

BackgroundPsychotherapy for depression and antidepressant medications have both been associated with decreases in suicidal ideation. Studies have not examined whether adding psychotherapy to antidepressant medications further reduces suicidal ideation relative to medications alone in adults. MethodsParticipants (N = 452) were randomized to 7 months of treatment with antidepressant medications or combined treatment with both medications and cognitive therapy for depression. We examined change in the suicide items from the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) and Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HDRS) across treatment using Bayesian generalized linear mixed models for non-continuous outcomes. ResultsSuicidal ideation decreased across treatment. When measured with the BDI, participants receiving both cognitive therapy and antidepressant medications showed 17% greater reductions in suicidal ideation relative to those receiving medications alone; this effect remained significant when controlling for depression severity. While the same pattern was observed when suicidal ideation was measured with the HDRS, the effect was smaller (7%) and not statistically significant. When BDI and HDRS scores were combined, participants receiving both therapy and medications showed 9% greater reductions in suicidal ideation relative to those receiving medications alone; this effect was marginally significant when controlling for depression severity. LimitationsThis is a secondary analysis of a randomized clinical trial designed to treat depression, in which suicidal ideation was assessed using single-item measures. ConclusionsAdding cognitive therapy to antidepressant medications may reduce suicidal ideation to a greater extent than medications alone. Pending replication, combination treatment may be preferred for individuals with suicidal ideation.Trial registration: clinicaltrials.gov Identifier: NCT00057577

Depression on a Screen. “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock” in the Light of Cognitive Theories of Depression

This article analyses “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock” in the light of the American psychiatrist A. T. Beck’s diagnostic criteria and cognitive theories for interpreting and evaluating symptoms and levels of depression. This study aims to show that many symptoms listed in Beck’s Inventory for Measuring Depression (sixteen out of twenty-one) are recognizable – at different levels of signifier and signified – in both the poetical structure and the imagery of the poem, whereas specific aspects included in Cognitive Therapy of Depression (for instance, the cognitive process defined by Beck as “Faulty Information Processing” and two crucial points of this process, “Selective abstraction” and “Arbitrary inference”) are identifiable in some of the most relevant figurative isotopies of the poem.

Psychometric properties of the Marital Adjustment Scale during cognitive therapy for depression: New research opportunities.

Poor dyadic adjustment in marital or similar relationships is common among patients seeking individual cognitive therapy (CT) for major depressive disorder (MDD). Here we examined the psychometric properties of the marital adjustment subscale (MAS) of the Social Adjustment Scale-Self-report (SAS-SR; Weissman & Bothwell, 1976). Among married or cohabiting patients receiving individual CT for recurrent MDD (N = 306) in the context of two randomized controlled trials, the MAS demonstrated moderate internal consistency and test-retest reliability, strong convergence with the Dyadic Adjustment Scale (Spanier, 1976), and moderate relations with interpersonal problems and depressive symptoms. Controlling baseline depressive symptom severity, greater pre-CT relationship discord on the MAS predicted less reduction in depressive symptom severity and lower odds of depression remission during CT. These results support the reliability, validity, and potential utility of the MAS. Using the MAS may help investigators "mine" existing data sets including the SAS-SR to further understanding of dyadic functioning and its potential impact on depression treatment and other health outcomes. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).

Theory-specific patient change processes and mechanisms in different cognitive therapies for depression.

This study aimed to identify differential patient change processes and mechanisms associated with long-term outcome in exposure-based cognitive therapy (EBCT) and cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) for depression. We drew on a randomized controlled trial in which 149 patients were randomly assigned to either EBCT or CBT, with the treatments showing comparable efficacy at 12-month follow-up (grosse Holtforth et al., 2019). Based on Doss's (2004) 4-step model of psychotherapy change and using sequential multilevel structural equation models, we tested putative theory-based change processes and mechanisms for both treatments. Specifically, we examined emotional processing and cognitive restructuring during treatment as hypothesized change processes of EBCT and CBT, respectively. Furthermore, as potential change mechanisms during follow-up, we examined theory-relevant mechanisms for each treatment, preselected via multilevel models. Although the full serial mediational pathways were not supported, EBCT fostered greater during-treatment increases in emotional processing and higher self-efficacy during follow-up than CBT, both of which associated with better long-term depression outcome. Unexpectedly, cognitive restructuring change did not differ between EBCT and CBT. Across both CBT and EBCT, greater during-treatment increases in cognitive restructuring related to lower cognitive-behavioral avoidance and greater self-efficacy across follow-up, which associated with lower long-term depression. Results suggest that therapists might improve long-term depression outcome by fostering both emotional processing (via emotion-focused techniques as included in EBCT) and cognitive restructuring (by using general CBT techniques included in both treatments), which operate either directly or through varied treatment-common mechanisms (e.g., greater self-efficacy and reduced cognitive-behavioral avoidance). (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).

Who benefits the most from cognitive change in cognitive therapy of depression? A study of interpersonal factors.

Research suggests that decreases in negative cognitions coincide with symptom improvements over the course of cognitive therapy (CT) of depression, but the role cognitive change (CC) plays in reducing symptoms remains controversial. A total of 126 adults (mean age = 31.7, SD = 13.35; 60% female; 83% Caucasian) participated in CT for depression. Patients completed the Beck Depression Inventory-II and the Immediate Cognitive Change Scale at each session. At intake evaluation, maladaptive personality traits (Personality Inventory for DSM-5, Brief Form) and interpersonal problems (Inventory of Interpersonal Problems, Short Version) were assessed via self-report, and social skills were assessed through patients' evaluation of their performance following a series of behavioral role-plays (standardized interaction task). To rule out between-patient differences as potential confounds, our model disaggregated within- and between-patient components of CC and depression scores. Within-patient CC significantly predicted within-patient change in depressive symptoms. This relation was moderated by patients' evaluations of their social skills and patients' level of interpersonal problems, with CC predicting symptoms more robustly for patients with fewer perceived social skills and for those with greater interpersonal problems. Maladaptive personality traits did not emerge as a moderator. Additional analyses showed the relation of CC and symptom change was particularly strong among those with social anxiety disorder and among those observers rated as having lower social skills. CC in CT sessions appears to foster subsequent depressive symptom reduction, especially among patients with lower levels of self-evaluated social skills and greater interpersonal problems. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).

Supplemental Material for Psychometric Properties of the Marital Adjustment Scale During Cognitive Therapy for Depression: New Research Opportunities

Supplemental Material for Psychometric Properties of the Marital Adjustment Scale During Cognitive Therapy for Depression: New Research Opportunities

Supplemental Material for Theory-Specific Patient Change Processes and Mechanisms in Different Cognitive Therapies for Depression

Supplemental Material for Theory-Specific Patient Change Processes and Mechanisms in Different Cognitive Therapies for Depression

Supplemental Material for Who Benefits the Most From Cognitive Change in Cognitive Therapy of Depression? A Study of Interpersonal Factors

Supplemental Material for Who Benefits the Most From Cognitive Change in Cognitive Therapy of Depression? A Study of Interpersonal Factors

Cognitive therapy for depression: theoretical reflection and personal thinkings

Cognitive therapy did not emerge full-blown but went through many researches before it reached its present form. A. Beck’s first foray into the area of cognition actually occurred as a result of an interaction with depressive patients while practicing psychoanalysis and psychodynamic psychotherapy. When the researcher fitted together the observations of the reported automatic thoughts of these patients and his own introspective explorations, he started to arrive at the beginnings of a cognitive theory and the existence of two systems of thoughts. One system is directed to others and, when freely expressed, consists of the kinds of feelings and thoughts that one commonly communicates to other people. This form of thinking and communicating constitutes “the conversational mode” of thinking, or “the mode of dialogue”. The second system of thoughts is “the self-signalling mode”. It consists of self-monitoring, self-instructions, and self-warnings. It also includes rapid, automatic interpretation of events, self-evaluations, and anticipations. Its function is communication with oneself rather than with other people. The researcher discovered, the internal communication system was the source of much of the patients' problems and by tapping into it we could better understand the patients' difficulties and help them to resolve them. The negativity of depression as a psychological state permeated the patients' internal communications, such as self-evaluation, attributions, expectancies, inferences, and recall, and was manifested in low self-esteem, self-blame and self-criticism, negative predictions, negative interpretations of experiences, and unpleasant recollections. A. Beck observed that the depressed patients were particularly prone to make a negative interpretation when a positive one would seem to be more appropriate. Furthermore, they would not only magnify their own unpleasant experiences but would either blot out their experiences that other people would consider positive. In particular, in the course of investigations it was noted that depressed patients tended to predict specific negative outcomes from tasks that they might undertake and expected long-range, bad outcomes to their life in general. A high degree of such negative expectations (“hopelessness”) appeared to be predictive of suicide. These phenomena appeared to be universal across all types of sub-types of depression, irrespective of whether the primary diagnosis was depression, schizophrenia, or some other disorder. As the depressed patients were filled with covert hostility, the dreams would be a place where this hostility could be identified. It has been proved that the depressed patients showed less hostility in their dreams than did the non-depressed patients. Although the depressed patients had fewer dreams in which they played an aggressive or hostile role, they were the victim of some unpleasant event: they were thwarted, deprived, disappointed and depreciated. By suffering, they would be punishing themselves; that is, inflicting the hostility against themselves. This masochism would be manifested in their self-criticism, courting rejection and suicidal desires. All of the depressed patients had more masochistic dreams than did any of the non-depressed patients. Thus, the preliminary confirmation of the psychoanalytic theory of depression must be both enriched hypothetically by a variety of vantage points and by using differing techniques and psychotherapeutic practice protocol.

Putting the "cognitive" back in cognitive therapy: Sustained cognitive change as a mediator of in-session insights and depressive symptom improvement.

Although cognitive change has long been posited to drive symptom improvements in cognitive therapy (CT) of depression, whether it does so remains controversial. Methodological challenges have contributed heavily to the lack of resolution on this issue. Using a patient-reported measure of cognitive change, we tested the role of cognitive change in contributing to symptom change in CT. In addition, we tested whether therapists' use of cognitive methods intended to promote cognitive changes predicted these changes. We also tested the specificity of the relation of cognitive methods and cognitive change by examining other psychotherapy process variables. In a sample of 126 patients who participated in CT of depression, patients rated immediate cognitive change (CC-Immediate) at the end of each session and sustained cognitive change (CC-Sustained) at the start of each subsequent session. Observers rated therapist adherence and alliance for the first five sessions. Depressive symptoms were assessed at each session. For all predictors, we disaggregated within- and between-patient effects. Focusing on within-patient predictors, CC-Sustained mediated the relation of CC-Immediate and subsequent symptom change. In addition, both CC-Immediate and CC-Sustained predicted symptom change. Therapist adherence to cognitive methods was the only within-patient variable to predict CC-Immediate. These findings are consistent with the view that cognitive change contributes to symptom reductions in CT, and that therapists' use of cognitive methods contributes to cognitive changes during sessions. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved).