None listed
Conditions
Brief summary
This study will test a brief talking therapy that uses people’s own social memories and images of future social experiences to help adults with depression feel more connected to others. Adults with major depressive disorder and low feelings of social connectedness will complete four weekly one-hour individual sessions with a trained therapist. The therapy focuses on recalling specific times when social connections have felt supportive or meaningful, and on building detailed, positive images of future social situations, with the aim of improving perceived social connectedness and reducing depressive symptoms. The main hypothesis is that, after the intervention, participants will report higher perceived social connectedness, along with improvements in mood, compared with their own baseline levels before therapy.
Interventions
Brief name: Social reminiscence-based therapy targeting social memories and future social experiences.
Participants receive a brief, structured talking therapy that uses guided reminiscence and imagery exercises to target social autobiographical memories and social episodic future thinking, with the aim of improving perceived social connectedness in adults with major depressive disorder. The intervention is adapted from cognitive reminiscence approaches for depression but focuses specifically on
Brief name: Social reminiscence-based therapy targeting social memories and future social experiences. Participants receive a brief, structured talking therapy that uses guided reminiscence and imagery exercises to target social autobiographical memories and social episodic future thinking, with the aim of improving perceived social connectedness in adults with major depressive disorder. The intervention is adapted from cognitive reminiscence approaches for depression but focuses specifically on past and future experiences of social connection. Therapy is delivered individually by a registered psychologist or provisionally registered psychologist under supervision. Sessions are conducted face-to-face (or via secure videoconference, if required) and follow a structured manual that includes session outlines, example questions, and homework sheets to elicit and elaborate social memories and to construct detailed, positive social future scenarios. Each participant receives four sessions of approximately 60 minutes, scheduled weekly over a 4-week period (4 x 1-hour individual sessions over 4 weeks). Across sessions, the therapist: (1) provides psychoeducation about autobiographical memory, future thinking, and social connectedness, and how biases in these processes can maintain depression and disconnection; (2) guides participants to recall specific social memories (e.g., supportive, valued, or meaningful interactions), elaborate their sensory and emotional detail, and reframe these experiences in ways that challenge negative social self-beliefs and schemas; (3) helps participants generate vivid, specific future social episodes that are consistent with their values and goals; (4) assigns brief between-session tasks (e.g., journalling specific positive social memories, imagery practice of future social events) to consolidate learning. The intervention is delivered in an outpatient university or community clinic setting (or via telehealth to participants’ homes), in a quiet, private room suitable for individual psychotherapy. The content is semi-structured and tailored to each participant’s social history and current goals (e.g., emphasis on family, friends, or community interactions), but all participants receive the same core components: (1) psychoeducation, (2) guided recall and elaboration of specific social memories, (3) restructuring of maladaptive social beliefs, and (4) guided construction of specific positive social future events. Strategies to maintain adherence and fidelity include training in the manual before the trial commences, regular supervision, and use of session checklists to ensure consistent delivery across participants.
Sponsors
Deakin University
Study design
Allocation
Non-randomised trial
Primary purpose
Treatment
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
All
Age
18 Years to No maximum
Healthy volunteers
No
Inclusion criteria
- Meeting criteria for a current Major Depressive Episode on the MINI for DSM-5 - Social Connectedness Scale–Revised (SCS-R) mean score below 3.5, indicating low perceived social connectedness - Adults (18 years or over) - Completed Studies 1 and 2 in the broader project and willing to take part in the intervention phase, with capacity to provide informed consent
Exclusion criteria
- History of intellectual disability, psychotic disorder, current psychotic symptoms, manic or hypomanic episodes, severe substance use disorder, or borderline personality disorder, as assessed with the MINI for DSM-5 - Acute suicide risk requiring more intensive intervention than a brief outpatient therapy (managed via risk protocol and referral) - Insufficient English proficiency to understand and complete intervention sessions and questionnaires
Outcome results
None listed