Clinical trial NCT03780881: EXperimental Paradigm to Investigate Expectation Change in Depression 4
Official title: Worse Than Expected - Differences Between Healthy and Depressed People in Processing Unexpectedly Negative Information
Study type: INTERVENTIONAL
Overall status: COMPLETED
Phase: NA
Conditions: Major Depressive Disorder
Lead sponsor: Philipps University Marburg
Sponsor class: OTHER
First posted: 2018-12-19
Enrollment: 171
Sex: ALL
Minimum age (years): 18
Standard ages: ADULT
OLDER_ADULT
Accepts healthy volunteers: yes
Allocation: RANDOMIZED
Intervention model: PARALLEL
Intervention model description: Participants are assigned to one of two experimental groups in parallel for the duration of the study
Primary purpose: BASIC_SCIENCE

Brief summary: Research has shown that people with depressive symptoms maintain negative expectations even if they have positive experiences that contradict their expectations. Healthy people, however, change their expectations after unexpected positive experiences. In this experimental study, it will now be examined whether there are also differences between healthy people and people with depressive symptoms in dealing with unexpected negative experiences.

Detailed description: Research has already shown that people with depressive symptoms continue to hold on to negative expectations even if they have positive experiences that contradict their expectations. By contrast, healthy people change their expectations after unexpectedly positive experiences. In this experimental study, the authors will now examine whether there are also differences between healthy people and people with depressive symptoms in processing unexpectedly negative experiences. It is hypothesized that people with depressive symptoms change their expectations in a negative direction after unexpectedly negative experiences, while healthy people continue to hold on to an optimistic view.

Eligibility criteria: Inclusion Criteria (clinical sample):

* diagnosis of major depression
* at least 18 years old
* sufficient German language skills

Exclusion Criteria (clinical sample):

* participation in previous studies on changes in expectations

Inclusion Criteria (healthy sample):

* at least 18 years old
* sufficient German language skills

Exclusion Criteria (clinical sample):

* participation in previous studies on changes in expectations
* current diagnosis of any mental disorder
* diagnosis of major depression in the past
* currently receiving psychotherapeutic treatment

Primary outcomes:
measure: 2-Item Performance Expectations Scale - generalized
timeFrame: Immediately before the performance test and immediately after completion of the performance test
Secondary outcomes:
measure: 2-Item Performance Expectations Scale - task-specific
timeFrame: Immediately before the performance test and immediately after completion of the performance test
Other outcomes:
measure: 5-Item Cognitive Immunization after Performance Feedback (CIPF) scale
timeFrame: Immediately after completion of the performance test
Locations:
city: Bad Arolsen
country: Germany
facility: Schoen Klinik Bad Arolsen
state: Hessen
Study officials:
affiliation: Philipps University Marburg
name: Tobias Kube, PhD
role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR
References: