Mindfulness based cognitive therapy (MBCT) reduces depression-related self-referential processing in patients with bipolar disorder: an exploratory task-based study. Issue 7 (3rd October 2022)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Stalmeier, Thalia D.M.; Lubbers, Jelle; Cladder-Micus, Mira B.; Hanssen, Imke; Huijbers, Marloes J.; Speckens, Anne E.M.; Geurts, Dirk E.M.
• Is Part Of: Cognition and emotion. Volume 36:Issue 7(2022)
• Page Start: 1255
• Page End: 1272
• Publication Date: 2022-10-03
• Subjects: Self-referential processing -- bipolar disorder -- MBCT -- depression -- mindfulness; Cognition -- Periodicals; Emotions and cognition -- Periodicals; 155.413
• DOI: 10.1080/02699931.2022.2105308
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0269-9931

Abstract

ABSTRACT: Negative self-referential processing has fruitfully been studied in unipolar depressed patients, but remarkably less in patients with bipolar disorder (BD). This exploratory study examines the relation between task-based self-referential processing and depressive symptoms in BD and their possible importance to the working mechanism of mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) for BD. The study population consisted of a subsample of patients with BD ( n = 49) participating in an RCT of MBCT for BD, who were assigned to MBCT + TAU ( n = 23) or treatment as usual (TAU) ( n = 26). Patients performed the self-referential encoding task (SRET), which measures (1) positive and (2) negative attributions to oneself as well as (3) negative self-referential memory bias, before and after MBCT + TAU or TAU. At baseline, all three SRET measures were significantly related to depressive symptoms in patients with BD. Moreover, repeated measures analyses of variance revealed that negative self-referential memory bias diminished over time in the MBCT + TAU group, compared with the TAU group. Given the preliminary nature of our findings, future research should explore the possibly mediating role of reducing negative self-referential memory bias in preventing and treating depressive symptoms in BD through MBCT.