Inducing a Depressive Mood: A Comparison between Patients with Anxiety and Depression and Non-Patients in Emotional Reactivity, Avoidance and Mindfulness

Understanding how emotional reactivity (ER) works could help explain how mental disorders are developed and maintained. In this study, a musical mood induction procedure (MIP) was used to examine the relationship between ER and the fundamental components of avoidance (cognitive, behavioral and experiential). The study was conducted with a clinical sample of patients with anxiety disorders, depressive disorders and borderline personality disorder (N = 100), and general population sample (N = 100). A pilot study (N = 70) was first conducted to confirm the effectiveness of the selected MIP. The results indicated that the MIP used is an effective procedure for inducing a depressive mood. There was no relationship between ER induced by a depressive MIP and levels of cognitive-behavioral or experiential avoidance or mindfulness. Nor was a relationship found between ER and the symptomatology of anxiety and depression. Implications for understanding ER are discussed, as are recommendations for future studies.