Do Negative Appraisals and Avoidance of Intrusive Memories Predict Depression at Six Months?

Recent cross-sectional studies have found evidence of an important role for negative appraisals and avoidance of intrusive memories in depression. However, no studies to date have examined whether such appraisals predict depression over time. The role of negative appraisals and avoidance (in the form of suppression/distraction and rumination) was explored in the prediction of depression prospectively At Time 1, a mixed sample of community participants (N = 85) were interviewed and completed self-report measures of depression symptoms and intrusive memories. At Time 2 (6 months later, N = 64), depression symptoms were re-assessed. For the subsample of participants who did not receive treatment between the baseline and follow-up assessments, baseline levels of negative appraisals of intrusions predicted follow-up depression, even after controlling for baseline depression symptoms. Unexpectedly, avoidance failed to predict depression in the subsample who did not receive treatment. These results provide further evidence of the important role of negative appraisals of intrusive memories in depression over time. Our results suggest that treatments for depression might usefully incorporate elements that target negative intrusive memories.