Displaying 1 - 13 of 13
Reviewing the literature on autobiographical memory overgenerality, as measured by a cueing task like the Autobiographical Memory Test (AMT), gives a diffuse view of the moderating role of depression. This meta-analysis is an attempt to investigate the role of depression in the specificity of autobiographical memory, while accounting for the role of patient and task variables as possible moderators. Meta-analytic techniques are used to synthesize data from 14 studies on the recall of specific autobiographical memories in psychiatric and non-psychiatric samples. The results confirm the relationship between overgenerality and depression. The psychiatric patients are less specific than their non-clinical controls. It is not possible to establish that this result is solely due to a (co-morbid) diagnosis of depression. Self-reported depressed mood is also related to an impairment of autobiographical memory specificity. The way of presenting cues, audio taping responses and the maximum available amount of time to respond, are moderators of AMT performance.
Suggestions are made for future investigation of theory-of-mind development. There needs to be (1) more focus on the development of understanding of desire and intention; (2) research on the role of language in theory-of-mind development that integrates representational-development and social-interaction views; and (3) investigation of the real-world consequences of children's developing understanding of belief, desire, and intention.
This review investigates how recent neuroimaging findings on vulnerability for depression and the mechanisms of mindfulness may serve to inform and enhance the understanding that is guiding the use of mindfulness training in the prevention and treatment of recurrent and chronic depression. In particular, we review evidence suggesting that alterations in default-mode-network activity and connectivity represent a fundamental deficit underlying cognitive vulnerability for depression and explore the ways in which mindfulness meditation may reverse such alterations. Furthermore, we discuss findings from studies that have investigated the effects of mindfulness on emotion-regulatory capacities. These findings suggest mindful emotion regulation has a characteristic neural signature that is particularly conducive to therapeutic learning. We conclude that training in mindfulness has unique strengths for addressing neural mechanisms associated with cognitive vulnerabilities for recurrent and chronic depression and propose future lines of research to more effectively harness this potential.
This review investigates how recent neuroimaging findings on vulnerability for depression and the mechanisms of mindfulness may serve to inform and enhance the understanding that is guiding the use of mindfulness training in the prevention and treatment of recurrent and chronic depression. In particular, we review evidence suggesting that alterations in default-mode-network activity and connectivity represent a fundamental deficit underlying cognitive vulnerability for depression and explore the ways in which mindfulness meditation may reverse such alterations. Furthermore, we discuss findings from studies that have investigated the effects of mindfulness on emotion-regulatory capacities. These findings suggest mindful emotion regulation has a characteristic neural signature that is particularly conducive to therapeutic learning. We conclude that training in mindfulness has unique strengths for addressing neural mechanisms associated with cognitive vulnerabilities for recurrent and chronic depression and propose future lines of research to more effectively harness this potential.
Objectives To explore the impact of depression on heart rate (HR) and heart rate variability (HRV) as a marker of autonomic nervous system (ANS) impairment in depressed and non-depressed patients with advanced type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and to explore possible effects of an acceptance- and mindfulness-based group intervention (MBSR) on HR and HRV.Methods Alongside a prospective clinical trial, we collected demographic, psychosocial and clinical data from 113 chronic T2DM patients in a standardized setting. At baseline and after one year, depressive mood was assessed with the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9), and autonomic function was determined by measuring HR and HRV markers. A subsample was randomly assigned to take part in eight MBSR sessions.
Results Of the 113 T2DM patients (77.9% men; mean age=58.8±7.0 years; diabetes duration 11.5±7.0 years), 33 showed clinically relevant depressive symptoms at baseline. In cross-sectional analysis, we found no association between depression and HR/HRV (all comparisons p>0.05). In prospective regression analysis depression did not predict follow-up scores of HRV. The patients who participated in the MBSR intervention showed a tendency toward improved parasympathetic control (RMSSD, CV, E-I-Ratio) with small-to-moderate effect sizes (d≤0.38).
Conclusions Depression was not directly associated with cardiac autonomic control in this sample, but MBSR training may have positively influenced HR and HRV. In advanced diabetes, somatic and behavioral parameters seem to be more predictive than depression for the course of autonomic functioning, but the pathways remain unclear.
Objectives To explore the impact of depression on heart rate (HR) and heart rate variability (HRV) as a marker of autonomic nervous system (ANS) impairment in depressed and non-depressed patients with advanced type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and to explore possible effects of an acceptance- and mindfulness-based group intervention (MBSR) on HR and HRV.Methods Alongside a prospective clinical trial, we collected demographic, psychosocial and clinical data from 113 chronic T2DM patients in a standardized setting. At baseline and after one year, depressive mood was assessed with the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9), and autonomic function was determined by measuring HR and HRV markers. A subsample was randomly assigned to take part in eight MBSR sessions.
Results Of the 113 T2DM patients (77.9% men; mean age=58.8±7.0 years; diabetes duration 11.5±7.0 years), 33 showed clinically relevant depressive symptoms at baseline. In cross-sectional analysis, we found no association between depression and HR/HRV (all comparisons p>0.05). In prospective regression analysis depression did not predict follow-up scores of HRV. The patients who participated in the MBSR intervention showed a tendency toward improved parasympathetic control (RMSSD, CV, E-I-Ratio) with small-to-moderate effect sizes (d≤0.38).
Conclusions Depression was not directly associated with cardiac autonomic control in this sample, but MBSR training may have positively influenced HR and HRV. In advanced diabetes, somatic and behavioral parameters seem to be more predictive than depression for the course of autonomic functioning, but the pathways remain unclear.
Objectives To explore the impact of depression on heart rate (HR) and heart rate variability (HRV) as a marker of autonomic nervous system (ANS) impairment in depressed and non-depressed patients with advanced type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and to explore possible effects of an acceptance- and mindfulness-based group intervention (MBSR) on HR and HRV.Methods Alongside a prospective clinical trial, we collected demographic, psychosocial and clinical data from 113 chronic T2DM patients in a standardized setting. At baseline and after one year, depressive mood was assessed with the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9), and autonomic function was determined by measuring HR and HRV markers. A subsample was randomly assigned to take part in eight MBSR sessions.
Results Of the 113 T2DM patients (77.9% men; mean age=58.8±7.0 years; diabetes duration 11.5±7.0 years), 33 showed clinically relevant depressive symptoms at baseline. In cross-sectional analysis, we found no association between depression and HR/HRV (all comparisons p>0.05). In prospective regression analysis depression did not predict follow-up scores of HRV. The patients who participated in the MBSR intervention showed a tendency toward improved parasympathetic control (RMSSD, CV, E-I-Ratio) with small-to-moderate effect sizes (d≤0.38).
Conclusions Depression was not directly associated with cardiac autonomic control in this sample, but MBSR training may have positively influenced HR and HRV. In advanced diabetes, somatic and behavioral parameters seem to be more predictive than depression for the course of autonomic functioning, but the pathways remain unclear.
Qualitative researcher for the MYRIAD project, looking at processes of implementing mindfulness in school settings.
Qualitative researcher for the MYRIAD project, looking at processes of implementing mindfulness in school settings.
This paper examined the facilitators and barriers to implementation of mindfulness training (MT) across seven secondary/high schools using a qualitative case study design. Schools varied in level of implementation. Within schools, head teachers, members of school senior leadership teams, and staff members involved in the implementation of MT were interviewed individually. In addition, focus groups were conducted with other members of school staff to capture a broad range of views and perspectives. Across the case studies, several key themes emerged, which suggested four cornerstones to successful implementation of MT in schools. These were: people, specifically the need for committed individuals to champion the approach within their schools, with the support of members of the senior leadership teams; resources, both time and financial resources required for training and delivery of MT; journey, reflecting the fact that implementation takes time, and may be a non-linear process with stops and starts; and finally perceptions, highlighting the importance of members of the school community sharing an understanding what MT is and why it is being introduced in each school context. Similarities and differences between the current findings and those of research on implementation of other forms of school mental health promotion programs, and implementation of MT in healthcare settings, are discussed.
This paper examined the facilitators and barriers to implementation of mindfulness training (MT) across seven secondary/high schools using a qualitative case study design. Schools varied in level of implementation. Within schools, head teachers, members of school senior leadership teams, and staff members involved in the implementation of MT were interviewed individually. In addition, focus groups were conducted with other members of school staff to capture a broad range of views and perspectives. Across the case studies, several key themes emerged, which suggested four cornerstones to successful implementation of MT in schools. These were: people, specifically the need for committed individuals to champion the approach within their schools, with the support of members of the senior leadership teams; resources, both time and financial resources required for training and delivery of MT; journey, reflecting the fact that implementation takes time, and may be a non-linear process with stops and starts; and finally perceptions, highlighting the importance of members of the school community sharing an understanding what MT is and why it is being introduced in each school context. Similarities and differences between the current findings and those of research on implementation of other forms of school mental health promotion programs, and implementation of MT in healthcare settings, are discussed.
Medical students are a population at risk for the development of stress-related risk states (e.g. burnout) and manifest mental disorders (e.g. depression). Still the learning of coping mechanisms against stress is not an integral part of the medical curriculum. In a pilot study we developed an elective course for learning relaxation techniques (Relacs) which was geared to the clinical practice of autogenic training (AT) with psychiatric patients. The course focussed on an innovative and mostly communicative transfer of knowledge about AT, progressive muscle relaxation and medical hypnosis and stressed the principle of repeated and supervised exercises in small student groups alongside self-administered exercise. 42 students took part in this course and showed a very high acceptance for the topic and positive evaluation. Moreover, we found a distinct improvement of the participants’ mental parameters (burnout, anxiety) and a good knowledge about the course’s contents within the final exams at the end of the semester. The structure and realisation of the course is easily adaptable and very effective regarding the improvement of the students’ mental health. Due to our results and the commonly known prevalence of stress-related disorders in medical students we postulate the integration of courses on relaxation strategies in the medical curriculum.