Complutense University of Madrid, Spain; Ghent University, Belgium.
Ghent University, Belgium.
Behav Res Ther. 2019 Jul;118:30-42. doi: 10.1016/j.brat.2019.03.013. Epub 2019 Mar 27.
Brooding is considered a maladaptive form of emotion regulation linking adverse events to increases in depressive symptoms. The "Impaired Disengagement Hypothesis" (Koster, De Lissnyder, Derakshan & De Raedt, 2011) proposes that attentional disengagement processes are a main mechanism involved in the emergence and maintenance of brooding responses. In this study we tested prospective predictions derived from this framework, relying on eye-tracking to assess direct processes of attentional disengagement from emotional faces (i.e., time to move gaze away from either positive or negative faces when prompted to fixate a different face). A sample of undergraduates (n = 89) completed measures of depression, brooding, and the attentional disengagement task at baseline (beginning of the semester) and five months later (immediately after a stressful period: examination). The results supported a moderated mediation model where slower disengagement from positive faces at baseline (predictor) predicted decreases in brooding during the follow-up period (mediator), indirectly predicting decreased depressive symptoms at follow-up (outcome) in individuals encountering more adverse events during the follow-up period (moderator). Furthermore, analyses also supported a moderation model where more habitual brooding at baseline (predictor) predicted slower disengagement from negative faces at follow-up (outcome) in individuals encountering more adverse events (moderator). Our findings support bidirectional influences between attentional disengagement and brooding and highlight protective attention patterns with implications for the development of efficient strategies for the prevention of depression.
沉思被认为是一种适应不良的情绪调节方式，它将负面事件与抑郁症状的增加联系起来。“注意力脱离障碍假说”（Koster、De Lissnyder、Derakshan 和 De Raedt，2011）提出，注意力脱离过程是沉思反应出现和维持的主要机制。在这项研究中，我们根据这一框架进行了前瞻性预测，依靠眼动追踪来评估从情绪面孔中直接进行注意力脱离的过程（即，当被提示注视另一张脸时，从积极或消极面孔上移开目光的时间）。一组本科生（n=89）在基线（学期开始时）和五个月后（在压力期后立即：考试）完成了抑郁、沉思和注意力脱离任务的测量。结果支持了一个中介模型，其中基线时从积极面孔上较慢的注意力脱离（预测因子）预测了随访期间沉思的减少（中介），间接预测了随访期间（结果）在随访期间遇到更多负面事件的个体的抑郁症状减少（调节因子）。此外，分析还支持了一个调节模型，其中基线时更习惯的沉思（预测因子）预测了在随访期间遇到更多负面事件的个体从消极面孔上较慢的注意力脱离（结果）（调节因子）。我们的发现支持了注意力脱离和沉思之间的双向影响，并强调了具有保护注意力模式的影响，这对开发预防抑郁的有效策略具有重要意义。
