Self-directed thought and response to treatment for depression: A preliminary investigation

The study this article is based on investigated the role of self-directed attention in the maintenance of depressive episodes. Measures of rumination and self-consciousness were used to predict response to treatment for depression. Further, the study investigated the potential interplay between self-directed attention and negative cognition. Thirty-two participants completed measures of rumination, private self-consciousness, and negative cognition prior to receiving group psychoeducational treatment for depression. Analyses revealed that although the main effects of measures of self-directed attention and negative cognition were not statistically significant, the interaction between self-directed thought (particularly rumination) and negative cognitive style predicted change in severity of depressive symptoms over the course of the treatment program. These findings suggest that the degree to which heightened self-directed attention contributes to poor treatment outcome for depression varies as a function of cognitive style.