Study about the cognitive process underlying the relationship between thought suppression, rumination, and depression

2018 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 15K17258
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Young Scientists (B)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Research Field: Social psychology
• Research Institution: Kyoto Gakuen University
• Principal Investigator: Yosuke Hattori 京都学園大学, 人文学部, 講師 (40733267)
• Project Period (FY): 2015-04-01 – 2019-03-31
• Keywords: 思考抑制 / 反すう

Outline of Final Research Achievements

The purpose of this study was to clarify the cognitive process underlying the relationship between thought suppression and rumination. The results of a longitudinal study suggest that chronic thought suppression and brooding, which is a component of rumination, form a mutual enhancement loop. Moreover, the results showed that a meta-cognitive belief about thought suppression, cognitive load during thought suppression, and stress events mediate or moderate the causal relationship between thought suppression and rumination. Ways to intervene in the mutual enhancement loop are discussed.

Free Research Field

社会心理学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

反すうと思考抑制は，いずれも抑うつと密接に関連することが指摘されていたが，両者の因果的関係について調節的な検討を行った研究はほとんどみられなかった。本研究では，不明確なままであった反すうと思考抑制の因果的関係を整理し，その背景にある認知過程をモデル化することを試みた。ここで得られた結果は，反すうと思考抑制に関する基礎研究の発展に貢献するとともに，抑うつ症状の悪化・慢性化に対する予防的介入の一助となり，臨床領域への波及効果も見込まれる点で，意義深いものであるといえる。