Regaining control of your emotions? Investigating the mechanisms underlying effects of cognitive control training for remitted depressed patients

Kristof Hoorelbeke*, Nathan Van den Bergh, Rudi de Raedt, Marieke Wichers, Casper Albers, Ernst H. W. Koster

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticleAcademicpeer-review

11 Citations (Scopus)
322 Downloads (Pure)

Abstract

Studies suggest that cognitive control training shows potential as a preventive intervention for depression. At the same time, little is known regarding the mechanisms underlying effects of cognitive control training. Informed by theoretical frameworks of cognitive risk for recurrent depression (De Raedt & Koster, 2010; Siegle et al., 2007), the current study sought to model direct effects of cognitive control training on the complex interplay between affect, emotion regulation, residual symptomatology, and resilience in a sample of remitted depressed patients (n = 92). Combining a 4-week experience sampling procedure with an experimental manipulation of cognitive control, we observed beneficial effects of cognitive control training on deployment of rumination. In addition, we obtained evidence for the causal involvement of cognitive control in efficacy of emotion regulation. In contrast to our expectations, cognitive control training did not exert immediate effects on residual symptomatology or resilience when compared with an active control condition, nor did cognitive control training impact the complex interplay between these variables. Overall, immediate effects of cognitive control training on functioning in daily life were limited
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)194-213
Number of pages20
JournalEmotion
Volume23
Issue number1
Early online date17-Feb-2022
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Feb-2023

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