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Exploring Temporal Relationships Between Anxiety, Mood and Mental Imagery in Patients With Bipolar Disorder: A Network Analysis
van den Berg,K. C. Bloemendal,E. ten Hendrickson,A. T. Di Simplicio,M. Voncken,M. Aalbers,G. Keijsers,G. P. J.
van den Berg,K. C.
Bloemendal,E. ten
Hendrickson,A. T.
Di Simplicio,M.
Voncken,M.
Aalbers,G.
Keijsers,G. P. J.
Abstract
Introduction Bipolar disorder is a severe mental health problem with limited treatment success. There is a call for improving interventions, requiring an increased understanding of factors driving mood instability. One promising avenue is to study temporal associations between factors that appear relevant according to the emotional amplifier model of Holmes are changes in mood, anxiety and mental imagery. Methods The current study used data from a recent RCT for a secondary analysis which applied a network analysis approach to explore temporal associations between weekly measurements of mania, depression, anxiety and mental imagery measured during 32 weeks in two randomised groups (N = 55) receiving either imagery-focused cognitive therapy (ImCT) or group psychoeducation (PE). Results Both negative intrusive mental imagery and anxiety appeared central in the network analyses, driving changes in both mania and depression, but only in the PE group. In the ImCT group, only anxiety was driving changes in mania and depression. Conclusion Although exploratory, findings suggest that prior increases in anxiety and negative intrusive mental imagery might be associated with subsequent increases in depression and mania symptoms in patients with bipolar disorder. Anxiety might in turn increase negative intrusive imagery and associated negative emotions. Although more research is needed, results are in line with the emotional amplifier model and stress that future interventions with a focus on anxiety and imagery might help to improve psychosocial therapies for patients with bipolar disorder. In addition, this study suggests that a network approach is a helpful and feasible way to study mood instability, anxiety and mental imagery to increase our understanding of mechanisms underpinning mood instability.
Description
Publisher Copyright: © 2024 The Author(s). Clinical Psychology & Psychotherapy published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
Date
2024-09-01
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Research Projects
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Keywords
anxiety, bipolar disorder, mental imagery, network analysis
Citation
van den Berg, K C, Bloemendal, E T, Hendrickson, A T, Di Simplicio, M, Voncken, M, Aalbers, G & Keijsers, G P J 2024, 'Exploring Temporal Relationships Between Anxiety, Mood and Mental Imagery in Patients With Bipolar Disorder: A Network Analysis', Clinical Psychology & Psychotherapy, vol. 31, no. 5, e3050. https://doi.org/10.1002/cpp.3050