'She called her partner - hence she is needy': depressed patients show increased tendencies to make spontaneous trait inferences

B. Boecking; T. Barnhofer

doi:10.1017/S0033291714000622

'She called her partner - hence she is needy': depressed patients show increased tendencies to make spontaneous trait inferences

B. Boecking^*, T. Barnhofer

^*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

4 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Background: Interpersonal stress generation is an important maintaining factor in major depression; however, little is known about the psychological mechanisms that undermine interpersonal functioning. This study investigated the role of deficits in person perception to this regard. Method: Depressed patients (n = 20) and healthy controls (n = 20) completed a false recognition task that measured participants' tendencies to make spontaneous trait inferences (STIs), that is to spontaneously ascribe personality traits to other people. Participants then reported interpersonal daily hassles for one week following the task. Results: Tendencies to make STIs were significantly higher in depressed patients, particularly those with a history of childhood trauma. The degree to which participants made STIs was significantly related to depression severity, and predicted the occurrence of interpersonal daily hassles during follow-up across, but not within groups. Conclusions: The results suggest that depressed patients show characteristic biases in person perception that may contribute to the generation of interpersonal stress.

Original language	English
Journal	Psychological Medicine
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1017/S0033291714000622
Publication status	Accepted/In press - 7 Apr 2014

Keywords

Depression
interpersonal stress generation
major depressive disorder
person perception
spontaneous trait inferences

UN SDGs

This output contributes to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

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10.1017/S0033291714000622

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title = "'She called her partner - hence she is needy': depressed patients show increased tendencies to make spontaneous trait inferences",

abstract = "Background: Interpersonal stress generation is an important maintaining factor in major depression; however, little is known about the psychological mechanisms that undermine interpersonal functioning. This study investigated the role of deficits in person perception to this regard. Method: Depressed patients (n = 20) and healthy controls (n = 20) completed a false recognition task that measured participants' tendencies to make spontaneous trait inferences (STIs), that is to spontaneously ascribe personality traits to other people. Participants then reported interpersonal daily hassles for one week following the task. Results: Tendencies to make STIs were significantly higher in depressed patients, particularly those with a history of childhood trauma. The degree to which participants made STIs was significantly related to depression severity, and predicted the occurrence of interpersonal daily hassles during follow-up across, but not within groups. Conclusions: The results suggest that depressed patients show characteristic biases in person perception that may contribute to the generation of interpersonal stress.",

keywords = "Depression, interpersonal stress generation, major depressive disorder, person perception, spontaneous trait inferences",

author = "B. Boecking and T. Barnhofer",

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doi = "10.1017/S0033291714000622",

language = "English",

journal = "Psychological Medicine",

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T1 - 'She called her partner - hence she is needy'

T2 - depressed patients show increased tendencies to make spontaneous trait inferences

AU - Boecking, B.

AU - Barnhofer, T.

PY - 2014/4/7

Y1 - 2014/4/7

N2 - Background: Interpersonal stress generation is an important maintaining factor in major depression; however, little is known about the psychological mechanisms that undermine interpersonal functioning. This study investigated the role of deficits in person perception to this regard. Method: Depressed patients (n = 20) and healthy controls (n = 20) completed a false recognition task that measured participants' tendencies to make spontaneous trait inferences (STIs), that is to spontaneously ascribe personality traits to other people. Participants then reported interpersonal daily hassles for one week following the task. Results: Tendencies to make STIs were significantly higher in depressed patients, particularly those with a history of childhood trauma. The degree to which participants made STIs was significantly related to depression severity, and predicted the occurrence of interpersonal daily hassles during follow-up across, but not within groups. Conclusions: The results suggest that depressed patients show characteristic biases in person perception that may contribute to the generation of interpersonal stress.

AB - Background: Interpersonal stress generation is an important maintaining factor in major depression; however, little is known about the psychological mechanisms that undermine interpersonal functioning. This study investigated the role of deficits in person perception to this regard. Method: Depressed patients (n = 20) and healthy controls (n = 20) completed a false recognition task that measured participants' tendencies to make spontaneous trait inferences (STIs), that is to spontaneously ascribe personality traits to other people. Participants then reported interpersonal daily hassles for one week following the task. Results: Tendencies to make STIs were significantly higher in depressed patients, particularly those with a history of childhood trauma. The degree to which participants made STIs was significantly related to depression severity, and predicted the occurrence of interpersonal daily hassles during follow-up across, but not within groups. Conclusions: The results suggest that depressed patients show characteristic biases in person perception that may contribute to the generation of interpersonal stress.

KW - Depression

KW - interpersonal stress generation

KW - major depressive disorder

KW - person perception

KW - spontaneous trait inferences

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U2 - 10.1017/S0033291714000622

DO - 10.1017/S0033291714000622

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SN - 0033-2917

JO - Psychological Medicine

JF - Psychological Medicine

ER -

'She called her partner - hence she is needy': depressed patients show increased tendencies to make spontaneous trait inferences

Abstract

Keywords

UN SDGs

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