Self-related belief formation and subjective well-being: Prediction and improvement of depressive symptoms

• Applicant: Dr. Laura Müller-Pinzler
• Subject Area: Personality Psychology, Clinical and Medical Psychology, Methodology ; Biological Psychiatry ; Biological Psychology and Cognitive Neuroscience
• Term: since 2018
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 409077904

Dysfunctional beliefs about the self are a transdiagnostic cognitive phenomenon and thus an integral part of many mental health conditions including Major Depression. Understanding the mechanisms of self-related belief formation, for example how people develop beliefs about their ability to perform at their job or in social settings, and how these beliefs are shaped, is a highly relevant topic for mental health questions and the etiology of mental disorders. In the current application I will build on and systematically extend the findings of the previous funding period and examine the extent to which the process of self-related belief formation and its neural correlates can be used as predictors as to whether individuals will consolidate self-related beliefs that are harmful to their mental health and contribute to depressive symptoms in the long run (two follow-ups within 6 months). This will be assessed in a sample of individuals with Major Depression. Second, in collaboration with Professor Marcella Woud (Ruhr-University Bochum), I will implement an online intervention of the “cognitive bias modification – interpretation training (CBM-I)”, which has been shown to alter biased information processing and symptoms of psychopathology. Here, I will test whether negative long-term effects of maladaptive belief formation strategies can be mitigated, and by doing so self-related beliefs improved in a sample scoring high on depressive symptoms. Both work packages will be a step toward a more causal and mechanistic understanding of Major Depression and therefore potentially guide mechanistic-specific therapeutic intervention.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants