NCT03080025

Social Interaction and Compassion in Depression

The Effects of a Cognitively-based Compassion Training on Health and Social Interaction in Depressed Patients and Their Partners

• Status: Completed
• Phase: N/A
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 140 (actual)
• Sponsor: Heidelberg University · Academic / Other
• Sex: All
• Age: 20 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Accepted

Summary

The purpose of this study is to determine how a CBCT® (Cognitively Based Compassion-Training) for couples affect aspects of health and especially social interactions in depressed female patients and their romantic partners. compare healthy and depressed couples during an instructed positive real-time social interaction in the laboratory. Furthermore the investigators aim to examine how social behavior and psychobiological indicators of health during real-time social interaction in the laboratory might be improved through CBCT® for couples.

Detailed description

Objects: Will a CBCT® (Cognitively Based Compassion-Training) for couples reduce the depressive symptomatic and the partners´ burden as well as improve behavioral, endocrine, physiological and immune responses during a real time social interaction in the laboratory. Do couples with a depressed female partner differ from healthy control couples in behavioral, endocrine, physiological and immune responses during a instructed positive real-time social interaction in a laboratory setting?

Conditions

• Depression
• Couples (Persons)

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
BEHAVIORAL	CBCT® (Cognitively Based Compassion-Training)	The CBCT® (Cognitively Based Compassion-Training) as a secular approach was established as a structured protocol. The therapeutic tools are based on systemic approaches \& techniques, which contains a resource- \& solution orientation and the approach of Gottman's model of healthy relationships (e.g. trust and commitment - based on that - elements like "the positive perspective"). Four dyadic exercises are introduced to enhance positive reciprocity between the romantic partners (based on concepts of couple communication training): a) Building mindful ability to talk, b) building mindful ability to listen (without reacting initially), c) appreciation in action - indulging the partner, d) "noticing, how the partner is doing something good for me" - gratefulness in action verbally/non-verbally. Finally, the "empathy exercise" has been added inspired by CBASP therapy for chronic major depression.

Timeline

• Start date: 2017-01-01
• Primary completion: 2019-04-01
• Completion: 2019-08-01
• First posted: 2017-03-15
• Last updated: 2021-08-05

Locations

1 site across 1 country: Germany