NEGATIVE BIASES IN SOCIAL PROCESSING CORRELATE WITH CURRENT SELF-ESTEEM
AND FUTURE CHANGES IN DEPRESSION
Alex W. daSilva, Jeremy F. Huckins, William M. Kelley, and Todd F. Heatherton
Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH
RESULTS
INTRODUCTION
A recent survey of over 94,000 college students found that 35% of females
and 28% of males had at some time felt “so depressed it was difficult to
function” (ACH, 2014). It is known that low self-esteem is a risk factor for
depression. The sociometer model of self-esteem focuses on negative
social information (Leary et al., 1995). Here we report two studies looking
at negative social information, self-esteem, and depression.
CONCLUSIONS
Low Self-Esteem Individuals Recall More
Negative Social Images
***
**
Subgenual Activity to Negative Social Images
Correlates with Self-Esteem
r = -.34, p = .011
* self-esteem was
median split for
illustration purposes
In Study 2, we saw those lower in self-esteem displayed
a heightened neural response in subgenual acc to
negative social stimuli. However, it was brain activity, not
self-esteem, that best predicted increases in depression.
Study 1 investigated whether those low in self-esteem have a memory bias
for negative social information.
Study 2 used fMRI to examine whether subgenual activity to negative
social images predicted worsening affect over time as clinical work has
shown that the hyper-activation of the subgenual acc in response to
negative stimuli is associated with failed treatment outcomes (Fu et al.,
(2013).
Together, these results suggest that trait level
characteristics and information about negativity biases
should be taken into account when predicting negative
affect.
FUTURE DIRECTIONS
METHODS
Participants Study 1: N=69 (41 females). Self-esteem assessed by Revised
Janis-Field Feelings of Inadequacy scale (Fleming & Courtney, 1984).
Subgenual Activity, not Self-Esteem, Predicts Changes in Depression
Participants Study 2: N=55 (37 females). Depression assessed by PHQ8
(Kroenke et al., 2009).
2. Filler Surveys
While informative, an ROI based approach fails to take
into account interactions between different regions of the
brain.
Connectivity based approaches, such as resting-state or
DTI, would help better capture the dynamic relationship
between brain regions perhaps providing a better marker
of those at risk for experiencing worsening affect.
Procedure study 1:
1. View Images
In Study 1, we observed a memory bias across all
participants for negative social stimuli. In turn, that bias
was modulated by self-esteem such that those with low
self-esteem remembered more negative social material.
3. Surprise Memory Test
References
Subgenual ROI was based on the
neurosynth peak for “subgenual”
Procedure study 2:
1. Passive Viewing Task (during fMRI)
Fleming, J. S., & Courtney, B. E. (1984). The dimensionality of self-esteem: II.
Hierarchical facet model for revised measurement scales. Journal of Personality and
Social psychology, 46(2), 404-421.
2. PHQ8 at 2 week intervals
Instruction: “Please indicate
whether the image is indoors
or outdoors.”
Over time, participants with
higher neural activity in
subgenual acc in response to
negative social images became
more depressed.
+
Analysis Study 1: Mixed model containing interaction between contrast of
interest (negative social > other images) and self-esteem.
Analysis Study 2: Mixed model containing interaction between time and
neural activity as well as by-subject random slopes for time.
Association ACH. American College Health Association-National College Health
Assessment II (2014).
* Subgenual brain activity was
median split for illustration purposes
Bootstrapped 95% CI [.15, .78],
Satterthwaite approximated
(p = .008)
Fu, C. H., Steiner, H., & Costafreda, S. G. (2013). Predictive neural biomarkers of
clinical response in depression: a meta-analysis of functional and structural
neuroimaging studies of pharmacological and psychological therapies. Neurobiology
of disease, 52, 75-83.
Kroenke, K., Strine, T. W., Spitzer, R. L., Williams, J. B., Berry, J. T., & Mokdad, A. H.
(2009). The PHQ-8 as a measure of current depression in the general population.
Journal of affective disorders, 114(1), 163-173.
Leary, M. R., Tambor, E. S., Terdal, S. K., & Downs, D. L. (1995). Self-esteem as an
interpersonal monitor: The sociometer hypothesis. Journal of personality and social
psychology, 68(3), 518.
This work was supported by the National Institute on Drug Abuse,
National Institute of Health (T32DA037202), and the National Institute of
Mental Health (MH059282).