Cognitive Changes associated with iCBT (CCiC)
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Investigating the temporal dynamics of changes in metacognitive bias during internet-based cognitive behavioural therapy
IRAS ID
310509
Contact name
Vanessa Teckentrup
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Trinity College Institute of Neuroscience
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 0 months, 1 days
Research summary
In a previous study (Precision in Psychiatry study) we have shown that individuals scoring high along a spectrum of “anxious-depression” have lower confidence in their metacognitive performance which lines up well with the observation that depression is associated with pervasive negative shifts in self-evaluation and ultimately self-esteem. Metacognition as a construct describes the ability to monitor and appraise one’s own cognitive experiences and can be assessed by asking individuals to guess if they were correct or incorrect in each given trial of a difficult perceptual detection problem. Crucially, these metacognitive biases can be targeted through iCBT.
However, to date the temporal dynamics of these changes are poorly understood. It is unclear how metacognitive biases and self-report symptoms fluctuate over time and which individual factors contribute to this variation. Intriguingly, if improvements in metacognition would precede other clinical improvements, objectively assessed metacognitive biases could serve as an early marker for treatment success.
Hence, with this study we aim to assess the dynamic interactions between self-report variables including symptom dimensions of depression and aspects related to mental health, and metacognition over a period of 8 weeks of iCBT treatment. Specifically, we will study if (a) shifts in metacognitive bias due to iCBT precede shifts in other self-report variables and if these shifts in metacognitive bias are a precondition for treatment-related improvements in depression symptoms to occur, (b) shifts in metacognitive bias due to iCBT predict shifts in depression better than other aspects of cognition, and (c) if the treatment-related change in confidence mediates the association between change in self-esteem and change in depression as a possible mechanism underlying treatment effects.
REC name
West Midlands - Solihull Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
24/WM/0181
Date of REC Opinion
19 Nov 2024
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion