Can positive emotion influence problem-solving attitudes among suicidal adults?

Abstract

A client's mood can hinder or enhance treatment and its effectiveness. Positive emotions can encourage exploration and experimentation, and they may have the long-term effect of resource building. The purpose of the present study was to assess this perspective as applied to the treatment of suicidal individuals. The authors found that patients prone to positive moods, as compared with those less prone to such moods, displayed more positive problem-solving attitudes following treatment for suicidal symptoms, and, partly as a function thereof, displayed enhanced treatment response. These findings suggest that clinicians may improve their chances of achieving successful treatment outcomes if they present skill-building treatments during windows of positive mood for the client, rather than in times of crisis.Suicidality represents an interesting yet challenging area for clinical practitioners. For at least two reasons, the interconnections between suicidality, problem-solving, and mood appear to be clinically important. First, suicidality has been linked to problemsolving deficits (Schotte & Clum, 1982), and skill-based treatments appear to be effective in reducing suicidal behavior (Rudd, Joiner, & Rajab, 2000;Rudd et al., 1996). Second, although there is no question that people in suicidal crises experience predominantly negative moods, suicidal crises are time limited, and much of therapy is conducted once the crisis subsides, when patients' range of moods is broader. In the course of therapy with suicidal patients, then, positive moods may well occur, and according to the logic of the broaden-and-build model (Fredrickson, 1998), may represent windows of opportunity for problem-solving skill acquisition.In her broaden-and-build model of positive emotions, Fredrickson (1998) proposed that emotions such as joy, interest, and contentment have the momentary effect of "broadening" cognition and behavior, so that exploration, experimentation, and play are more likely. Furthermore, because positive emotions subserve exploration and experimentation, they have the long-term effect of resource building. Through exploration and experimentation, new ideas and actions are discovered, building up an individual's repertoire of physical, intellectual, and social resources. The broaden-and-build model has accrued reasonable research support

Upward spirals of positive emotion and coping: Replication, extension, and initial exploration of neurochemical substrates

“…Clinicians who induce positive emotions (e.g., by asking patients to think about their "best times") or who time skill-based interventions to correspond to patients' naturally-occurring positive moods may increase the chances that patients will more rapidly and fully learn therapy-based skills (Wingate et al, 2006). Previous research has empirically substantiated the beneficial impact of positive emotional experiences on treatment outcome, even among suicidal patients (Joiner et al, 2001). More generally, evidence for upward spiral relations suggests that people's experiences of positive emotions-although fleeting-may carry largely unsung value.…”

Emotional processes in psychotherapy: evidence across therapeutic modalities

“…At the core of his recent thinking is the concept of the 'primal mode', which is a more basic, and more physical, emotional and motivational, form of information processing than the schema. Researchers found that suicidal patients displayed better problem-solving skills and attitudes in treatment when in positive moods, showing that emotion and cognition can interact in diverse ways (Joiner et al, 2001). Wells and Carter (2001) found support for a cognitive model of Generalized Anxiety Disorder that is characterized by 'Type 2' worry, that is perseverative worry about the harmful consequences of one's already frequent worrying.…”

Feasibility and utility of positive psychology exercises for suicidal inpatients

“…Positive emotions in suicidal patients have been linked to improved problem-solving [17], and a study of patients hospitalized for self-harm found that low positive future orientation more strongly predicted recurrent selfharm after discharge than did global hopelessness [18]. Therefore, explicit targeting of positive cognitive and emotional states like gratitude and positive future orientation may have effects on suicide risk above and beyond standard approaches.…”