Sesgos emocionales de interpretación.Desarrollo y validación de un programa breve de modificación de sesgos cognitivos con una aproximación clínica (MSC-IClin)

Abstract

When faced with ambiguous information, humans often try to give meaning to the situation. The tendency to provide negative interpretations at any time and context has come to be known as negative interpretation bias. This cognitive process is consistently found in emotional disorders and has been proposed as a precipitating and maintaining factor of symptoms of depression and anxiety. Given the high rates of prevalence and chronicity of these disorders in the population, it is necessary to find new treatment alternatives that can alleviate symptoms and increase functionality and well-being. The present dissertation had three main aims. First, it systematically analyzed the presence of Beck’s categories of interpretation bias in depression as measured by self-report questionnaires. Second, it aimed to design a new program to modify negative interpretation biases commonly found in depression and anxiety. Finally, the efficacy of this new program and its mechanisms of action were evaluated. Method. This dissertation is divided in four studies. The first one is a systematic review andmeta-analysis comparing, with the standardized mean difference effect size, the levels of interpretation biases in samples of depressed and healthy individuals. The second study presents the rationale and development of a new cognitive bias modification program (CBM-IClin) to modify interpretation biases and other related variables to be used in a randomized controlled trial. The third study evaluates the change in interpretation bias and symptoms of depression, stress, and anxiety in a sample of university students after the application of this new protocol in comparison to a wait-list control group. Finally, the fourth study includes mediation models to analyze how the change in negative interpretation bias, given the intervention, mediates the change in other related variables, such as attention and memory biases, dysfunctional attitudes, rumination, and well-being...