The ongoing repercussions of the COVID-19 pandemic provide an unparalleled context to examine how distressing events are remembered. Prior theory and research suggest that (a) distress during lockdowns may fade and be remembered as less distressing, or remain salient and be remembered as more distressing, than initially experienced and (b) emotional suppression and cognitive reappraisal may predict these memory biases. We test these possibilities by assessing depressive symptoms and emotion regulation during two lockdowns: at the start of the pandemic (Lockdown 2020) and 17 months later (Lockdown 2021) in a sample of parents with young children ( = 272). We assessed tracking accuracy, directional bias, and projection bias in memory of depressive symptoms in Lockdown 2020, and the moderating role of emotion regulation at the time of encoding (Lockdown 2020) and recall (Lockdown 2021). People experiencing more depressive symptoms later in the pandemic (2021) remembered the start of the pandemic (2020) to involve more depressive symptoms than initially experienced (projection bias). People engaging in greater emotional suppression at recall (2021) were less likely to project their current depressive symptoms onto memory of the prior lockdown (lower projection bias) and remembered feeling lower depressive symptoms than initially experienced (underestimation directional bias). By contrast, people engaging in cognitive reappraisal at recall (2021) remembered feeling greater depressive symptoms than they initially experienced (overestimation directional bias). These unexpected results indicate that emotion regulation may shape memory of emotion during real-life challenges differently than patterns observed in lab-based research and may reflect helpful coping with life events. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).
Download full-text PDF |
Source |
---|---|
http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/emo0001367 | DOI Listing |
J Clin Psychol
January 2025
Department of Clinical Psychology and Psychobiology, The Institute of Neurosciences, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain.
Based on the repertory grid technique, we developed Explore Your Meanings (EYME), a digital platform that helps patients explore identity values and internal conflicts using virtual reality (VR). EYME was part of a research project treating depression in young adults, including 10 weekly, 1-h sessions aimed at changing personal constructs-cognitive schemas that shape how individuals interpret reality. We present the case of Mary, a 21-year-old woman diagnosed with persistent major depressive disorder and social phobia.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSleep
January 2025
Department of Psychology, Faculty of Science, Memorial University, St. John's, NL, Canada.
Study Objectives: Cancer-related fatigue is one of the most common symptoms in cancer survivors. Cognitive behavioural therapy for insomnia (CBT-I) can improve fatigue, but mechanisms are unclear. This secondary analysis of a randomized controlled trial evaluated whether CBT-I led to a significant improvement in fatigue, accounting for change in comorbid symptoms of insomnia, perceived cognitive impairment (PCI), anxiety, and depression.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMatern Child Health J
January 2025
Department of Psychological Sciences, University of Missouri - St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, USA.
Objective: Development of postpartum depressive symptoms (PDS) is influenced by many social determinants of health, including income, discrimination, and other stressful life experiences. Early recognition of PDS is essential to reduce its long-term impact on mothers and their children, but postpartum checkups are highly underutilized. This study examined how stressful life experiences and race-based discrimination influence PDS development and whether or not a women has a postpartum checkup.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFLangmuir
January 2025
Department of Physics and Astronomy, The University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tennessee 37996, United States.
Biological memory is the ability to develop, retain, and retrieve information over time. Currently, it is widely accepted that memories are stored in synapses (i.e.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFWomens Health (Lond)
January 2025
Unit of Oncological Gynecology, Centro di Riferimento Oncologico della Basilicata (IRCCS-CROB), Rionero in Vulture, Italy.
Background: The Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) has had a significant impact on healthcare organizations, leading to a reduction in screening. The pandemic period has caused important psychological repercussions in the most fragile patients.
Objectives: This study aimed to assess the levels of depression, anxiety, peri-traumatic stress, and physical symptoms in patients undergoing colposcopy during the COVID-19 pandemic and to compare these data with the post-pandemic period.
Enter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!