Intrusive images of a distressing future: Links between prospective mental imagery, generalized anxiety and a tendency to suppress emotional experience in youth

Pile, Victoria; Lau, Jennifer Y. F.

doi:10.1016/j.brat.2019.103508

Cited by 19 publications

(12 citation statements)

References 58 publications

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“…There is also evidence that depression (in adolescents: [ 17 , 18 , 19 , 20 , 21 ]) and social anxiety disorder (SAD; adolescents: [ 22 , 23 , 24 , 25 , 26 , 27 ]) are linked to specific attributes of MI in adolescents (for a detailed review of the relevance of MI in psychopathology in children and adolescents, see [ 28 ]).…”

Section: Mental Imagery In Psychopathologymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Adolescents with depression were more likely to perceive negative mental images as more vivid and more often from an observer perspective, than adolescents without depression [ 17 , 19 , 20 , 21 ]. Concerning SAD, they discovered that negative self-images were a result, rather than a significant causal factor of SAD, and therefore may play a different role in the disorder among adolescents.…”

Section: Mental Imagery In Psychopathologymentioning

confidence: 99%

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Mental Imagery and Social Pain in Adolescents—Analysis of Imagery Characteristics and Perspective—A Pilot Study

2021

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Background: Mental imagery (MI) may play a key role in the development of various mental disorders in adolescents. Adolescence is known to be a fragile life period, in which acceptance by one’s favored peer group is extremely important, and social rejection is particularly painful. This is the first pilot study investigating MI and its relationship to social pain (SP). Method: A sample of 80 adolescents (14–20 years; 75.3% female) completed a web-based quasi-experimental design about the contents and characteristics of their spontaneous positive and negative MI and associated emotions, and were asked to complete the Social Pain Questionnaire, the Becks Depression Inventory and the Social Phobia Inventory. Results: A higher score of SP was significantly associated with increased fear, sadness, and feelings of guilt, and less control over negative MI. Characteristics of negative MI were more precisely predicted by SP scores than depression- and social anxiety scores. Adolescents with higher SP-scores more often reported negative images including social situations and were more likely to perceive negative images in a combination of field-and observer perspectives than adolescents with lower SP scores. Conclusion: SP-sensitivity seems to be linked to unique characteristics of negative MI, which reveals the strong emotional impact of social exclusion in youths. The results do not allow causal conclusions to be drawn, but raise questions about previous studies comparing each imagery perspective individually.

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Section: Mental Imagery In Psychopathologymentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Mental Imagery In Psychopathologymentioning

confidence: 99%

Mental Imagery and Social Pain in Adolescents—Analysis of Imagery Characteristics and Perspective—A Pilot Study

2021

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“…Therefore, we cannot rule out that our results lack internal validity. However, the results of other studies examining mental images in child and adolescent samples [ 32 , 35 , 48 , 68 ] which used self-report measures for the assessment of MI indicate that internal validity might not be threatened. Nevertheless, future studies should consider using additional semi-structured interviews to limit such influences on the results.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 98%

Mental imagery in adolescent PTSD patients after child abuse: a comparison with matched healthy controls

et al. 2022

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Background Intrusive mental imagery (MI) plays a crucial role in the maintenance of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in adults. Evidence on the characteristics of MI in adolescents suffering from PTSD is sparse. The aim of this study was to thoroughly assess MI in an adolescent sample suffering from PTSD after the experience of childhood sexual abuse and/or childhood physical abuse (CA). Methods Thirty-two adolescents with a primary diagnosis of PTSD after CA and 32 adolescents without any mental disorder and without a history of CA, matched for age and gender, completed questionnaires assessing the characteristics of negative and positive MI, as well as images of injury and death that lead to positive emotions (ID-images). Results The PTSD group reported significantly more frequent, more vivid, more distressing and more strongly autobiographically linked negative MI compared to the control group. Although positive MI was highly present in both groups (PTSD: 65.6%; controls: 71.9%), no significant differences emerged between the two groups regarding the distinct characteristics of positive MI. The frequency of the ID-images did not significantly differ between the two groups (PTSD: 21.9%; controls: 9.4%), although the ID-images were more vivid in the PTSD group. Discussion Negative MI appears to be crucial in adolescent PTSD, whilst positive MI are unexpectedly common in both the PTSD and the control group. The role of positive MI as well as that of ID-images remain unclear. Specific interventions for changing negative MI that are tailored to the developmental challenges in adolescents with PTSD should be developed. Trial registration Some of the PTSD patients in this study were also part of a randomized controlled trial on Developmentally adapted Cognitive Processing Therapy (D-CPT). This trial was registered at the German Clinical Trial Registry (GCTR), DRKS00004787, 18 March 2013.

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“…Recent developments in this area have also included increased interest in the potential role of imagery dysfunctions amongst children and adolescents (e.g. Chapman et al 2020;Pile and Lau 2020), other adult populations such as those with brain injury (Murphy et al 2019), and explicit incorporation of imagery into a wider range of psychological models of disorders and disordered behaviour, such as suicide (O'Connor and Kirtley 2018). Alongside research into the role and functions of mental imagery in everyday healthy functioning, as mentioned in the previous section, this growing awareness of imagery dysfunctions across psychopathology can contribute to a comprehensive picture of imagery from health to disorder.…”

Section: Dysfunctional Mental Imagerymentioning

confidence: 99%

Mental Imagery in the Science and Practice of Cognitive Behaviour Therapy: Past, Present, and Future Perspectives

Blackwell

2021

J Cogn Ther

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Mental imagery has a long history in the science and practice of cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT), stemming from both behavioural and cognitive traditions. The past decade or so has seen a marked increase in both scientific and clinical interest in mental imagery, from basic questions about the processes underpinning mental imagery and its roles in everyday healthy functioning, to clinical questions about how dysfunctions in mental imagery can cause distress and impairment, and how mental imagery can be used within CBT to effect therapeutic change. This article reflects on the current state of mental imagery in the science and practice of CBT, in the context of past developments and with a view to future challenges and opportunities. An ongoing interplay between the various strands of imagery research and the many clinical innovations in this area is recommended in order to realise the full therapeutic potential of mental imagery in CBT.

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Intrusive images of a distressing future: Links between prospective mental imagery, generalized anxiety and a tendency to suppress emotional experience in youth

Cited by 19 publications

References 58 publications

Mental Imagery and Social Pain in Adolescents—Analysis of Imagery Characteristics and Perspective—A Pilot Study

Mental Imagery and Social Pain in Adolescents—Analysis of Imagery Characteristics and Perspective—A Pilot Study

Mental imagery in adolescent PTSD patients after child abuse: a comparison with matched healthy controls

Mental Imagery in the Science and Practice of Cognitive Behaviour Therapy: Past, Present, and Future Perspectives

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