None listed
Conditions
Brief summary
Impairment in the ability to recall detailed autobiographical memories (AM) of in one’s life is a factor in the onset and maintenance of clinical depression. This is due to the critical role that specific AM play in healthy psychological functioning. For example, an impaired ability to retrieve specific AM is associated with poorer problem-solving, imagining, planning, and prediction, inaccurate appraisals of past events, and faulty decision-making. Without the ability to draw on our experiences in a detailed way, our capacity to adapt in the world is clearly impaired. Interventions designed to improve AM specificity involve training in retrieving memories. Preliminary studies of a face-to-face training program indicate it can produce significant improvement in AM specificity and depressive symptoms. Improving AM specificity appears to be a promising means by which to reduce depressive symptoms. Further, such interventions need not be delivered by a clinician, which provides the opportunity to test its delivery via the internet. Online mental health interventions are clinically- and cost-effective, with good equity of access given the majority of Australians use the internet regularly (83%), and almost all from home (97%). As over 1.1 million Australians meet criteria for a Major Depressive Episode, yet approximately 50% do not access services and 30% do not respond to current first-line treatments, there is clear scope for more accessible and effective interventions. The objective of this project will be to conduct the first randomised controlled trial of this online memory specificity training intervention to treat clinical depression. The study will also examine the mechanisms of change of this intervention, with implications for its broader use It is hypothesised that: - Individuals that receive the intervention, relative to those that don't, will report a lower incidence of depressive disorders at post-intervention and follow-up, and reductions in depressive symptoms; - the intervention group, relative to the non-intervention group, will report improvements in psychological resources at post-intervention and follow-up.
Interventions
The online Memory Specificity Training program (e-MeST) comprises 11 modules based on content from validated methods of improving the retrieval of specific autobiographical memories (memories of events that occurred within a specific day and place in someone's life) and reducing depressive symptoms.
Initially, the aims, rationale, structure, and process of the intervention are presented to participants. In each module participants are provided with examples of specific memories. They are then p
The online Memory Specificity Training program (e-MeST) comprises 11 modules based on content from validated methods of improving the retrieval of specific autobiographical memories (memories of events that occurred within a specific day and place in someone's life) and reducing depressive symptoms. Initially, the aims, rationale, structure, and process of the intervention are presented to participants. In each module participants are provided with examples of specific memories. They are then provided with a series of cue words and sentences and asked to retrieve memories from their past relating to these cues. These include positive, neutral, and negatively-themed cue words (e.g., proud, sorrow, table), as well as prompt questions to elicit memories. Participants’ responses are fed into an algorithm which has been tuned to identify whether the participants response is a specific memory or not. Feedback is then given to help participants learn how to correctly retrieve specific memories. There is no limit to how long participants can take to complete the modules, although previous pilot research has shown they take approx. between 10 and 45 minutes each. To assess adherence to the training program protocol, the researchers will have information about how many modules were completed and how much time they took to complete . Once baseline assessment is complete the participants will have a total of two weeks to access and complete the modules at their leisure. Following this they will no longer be able to access the training program. The training program is fully online and automated and does not require therapist guidance, although the participants will be able to contact the researchers if they encounter any issues while using the training program. Participants can complete the training program anywhere that they can access the internet.
Sponsors
Deakin University
Study design
Allocation
Randomised controlled trial
Intervention model
Parallel
Primary purpose
Treatment
Masking
Open (masking not used)
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
All
Age
18 Years to No maximum
Healthy volunteers
No
Inclusion criteria
(i) greater than or equal to 18 years (ii) residing in Australia (iii) fluent in English (iv) a current diagnosis of a Major Depressive Episode as assessed using the automated electronic Psychological Assessment (e-PASS) (v) a score on the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ) of at least 10 (vi) internet access in the home.
Exclusion criteria
i) currently receiving any treatment for depression, with the exception of antidepressant medication that has been stable in type and dosage for at least four weeks, (ii) Patient Health Questionnaire scores of over 21, indicative of severe depressive symptoms
Outcome results
None listed