Characteristics Of Counterfactual Thinking And Relationship Between Counterfactual Thinking And Executive Function Of Depressed Individuals

Depression is one of the most important and commonly occurred mental disorders and the fourth pathogeny of death and deformity. WHO predicted that depression would become the second pathogeny of death and deformity by the year of 2020. Therefore, depressive disorder is an important public health problem needing immediate and close attention.Cognitive factors are very important for the generation and development of depression. Previous studies have discussed cognitive factors of depression from the angles of attention, memory and executive control process. Counterfactual thinking is one of sophisticated cognitive activities. In the past few years, it was proved that there was a close correlation between counterfactual thinking and depression. Although the notion of counterfactual thinking has been formed for more than 20 years, few studies on the counterfactual thinking of depressed individuals could be found in literature. Furthermore, most of those researches focusing on the change of quantity of counterfactual thinking found that there was a close correlation between the depressive symptom levels and the quantity of counterfactual thinking produced by depressed individuals. However, we found no study about the counterfactual thinking of clinical depressed individuals in literature yet. There were rare studies about the rationality of counterfactual thinking in depressed individuals, either. Several researches also suggested that the generation of counterfactual thinking may depend on the executive function on the prefrontal lobe. Then, what is the correlation between the generation of counterfactual thinking and the executive function of depressed individuals?Therefore, one aim of this study was to explore the change of the quantity and the rationality of counterfactual thinking and the Counterfactual inference test in depression symptoms of clinical depressed individuals. Furthermore, after investigating the executive function, we explored the correlation between the counterfactual thinking and the executive function of depressed individuals, which was the other aim of our study.The results and conclusions of this study were described as follows:1. The severer the depressive symptom levels of the subjects were, the fewer the quantities of spontaneous counterfactual thinking (SCFT) and cued counterfactual thinking (CCFT) produced by the subjects were. Clinical depressed individuals generated the fewest quantities of SCFT and CCFT.2. The severer the depressive symptom levels of the subjects were, the less the rationality of counterfactual thinking produced by the subjects was.3. The inferential capability of counterfactual thinking of clinical depressed individuals was weaker than that of the controls and the individuals with depressive moods.4. Among the individuals with depressive moods, females generated more quantities of SCFT than males when they recalled negative events.5. There was significant negative correlation between the quantity and rationality of SCFT and the test scores of the Stroop Color and Word Test and the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test, which suggested that the SCFT generated by clinical depressed individuals was less in quantity and rationality because of their executive dysfunction. There was no obvious correlation between the quantity and rationality of CCFT and the Counterfactual Inference Test and the test scores of the Stroop Color and Word Test and the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test, which suggested that the production of SCFT may not depend on the executive function.The present study has observed the characteristics of counterfactual thinking and the relationship between counterfactual thinking and executive function in depressed individuals. The results of this study may be significantly useful. Firstly, it may be beneficial to further understanding the development of depression. Secondly, it may find a basis for further studies on counterfactual thinking of depressed individuals. Thirdly, it would offer enlightenment for the mental intervention and treatment for depressed individuals including clinical depressed patients.