The relationship between intrusive thoughts and an attention focusing strategy in depressed individuals during thought suppression

Abstract

Research has reported that depressed individuals often experience intrusive thoughts during thought suppression. We examined whether the use of an attention focusing strategy was associated with the high frequency of intrusive thoughts in depressed individuals. Thirty-two participants were asked (a) to suppress their thoughts about negative targets, (b) to suppress the same thoughts and perform a memory task at the same time, and (c) to think about anything they like. The results showed that in the suppression with memory task condition, depressed individuals did not focus their attention on the memory task, and experienced more intrusive thoughts than non-depressed individuals. These results suggest that the non-use of an attention focusing strategy is associated with a high frequency of intrusive thoughts in depressed individuals. Implications for cognitive behavioral therapy for depressed individuals are discussed.