Abstract
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Improving memory for the content of therapy sessions might increase the effects of psychological interventions. Previous studies showed that healthy individuals who took a memory test (retrieval) of studied material showed better long-term memory retention than individuals who restudied (rehearsal) the material. The aim of the current study was to find out whether we can translate these findings to a subclinical setting.
METHODS: Individuals with moderate levels of distress were randomized into retrieving (n = 46) or rehearsing (n = 49) four weekly sessions of online Problem-Solving Therapy (PST). Session recall, problem-solving skills and distress were measured at baseline, three days after each session and at one-week follow-up.
RESULTS: Retrieval led to overall higher recall, but this difference disappeared when controlling for the time spent on retrieval versus rehearsal. Retrieval did not lead to better problem-solving skills or less distress, compared to rehearsal. Baseline working memory performance moderated the effect of condition on recall after controlling for the time spent on retrieval versus rehearsal: the effect of retrieval compared to rehearsal on recall was larger for individuals with lower working memory performance.
LIMITATIONS: The sample mostly consisted of university students with overall high working memory scores.
CONCLUSIONS: This study provided the first evidence that retrieval of the content of PST sessions may lead to better session recall compared to rehearsal of the PST sessions in individuals with a low working memory score. Implications for the use of cognitive support strategies within a therapeutic setting are discussed.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 101485 |
| Journal | Journal of Behavior Therapy and Experimental Psychiatry |
| Volume | 66 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | E-pub ahead of print - 16 May 2019 |
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Bibliographical note
Copyright © 2019 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.Cite this
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The effects of retrieval versus rehearsal of online problem-solving therapy sessions on recall, problem-solving skills and distress in distressed individuals : An experimental study. / Bruijniks, Sanne J E; Sijbrandij, Marit; Huibers, Marcus J H.
In: Journal of Behavior Therapy and Experimental Psychiatry, Vol. 66, 16.05.2019, p. 101485.Research output: Contribution to Journal › Article › Academic › peer-review
TY - JOUR
T1 - The effects of retrieval versus rehearsal of online problem-solving therapy sessions on recall, problem-solving skills and distress in distressed individuals
T2 - An experimental study
AU - Bruijniks, Sanne J E
AU - Sijbrandij, Marit
AU - Huibers, Marcus J H
N1 - Copyright © 2019 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
PY - 2019/5/16
Y1 - 2019/5/16
N2 - BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Improving memory for the content of therapy sessions might increase the effects of psychological interventions. Previous studies showed that healthy individuals who took a memory test (retrieval) of studied material showed better long-term memory retention than individuals who restudied (rehearsal) the material. The aim of the current study was to find out whether we can translate these findings to a subclinical setting.METHODS: Individuals with moderate levels of distress were randomized into retrieving (n = 46) or rehearsing (n = 49) four weekly sessions of online Problem-Solving Therapy (PST). Session recall, problem-solving skills and distress were measured at baseline, three days after each session and at one-week follow-up.RESULTS: Retrieval led to overall higher recall, but this difference disappeared when controlling for the time spent on retrieval versus rehearsal. Retrieval did not lead to better problem-solving skills or less distress, compared to rehearsal. Baseline working memory performance moderated the effect of condition on recall after controlling for the time spent on retrieval versus rehearsal: the effect of retrieval compared to rehearsal on recall was larger for individuals with lower working memory performance.LIMITATIONS: The sample mostly consisted of university students with overall high working memory scores.CONCLUSIONS: This study provided the first evidence that retrieval of the content of PST sessions may lead to better session recall compared to rehearsal of the PST sessions in individuals with a low working memory score. Implications for the use of cognitive support strategies within a therapeutic setting are discussed.
AB - BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Improving memory for the content of therapy sessions might increase the effects of psychological interventions. Previous studies showed that healthy individuals who took a memory test (retrieval) of studied material showed better long-term memory retention than individuals who restudied (rehearsal) the material. The aim of the current study was to find out whether we can translate these findings to a subclinical setting.METHODS: Individuals with moderate levels of distress were randomized into retrieving (n = 46) or rehearsing (n = 49) four weekly sessions of online Problem-Solving Therapy (PST). Session recall, problem-solving skills and distress were measured at baseline, three days after each session and at one-week follow-up.RESULTS: Retrieval led to overall higher recall, but this difference disappeared when controlling for the time spent on retrieval versus rehearsal. Retrieval did not lead to better problem-solving skills or less distress, compared to rehearsal. Baseline working memory performance moderated the effect of condition on recall after controlling for the time spent on retrieval versus rehearsal: the effect of retrieval compared to rehearsal on recall was larger for individuals with lower working memory performance.LIMITATIONS: The sample mostly consisted of university students with overall high working memory scores.CONCLUSIONS: This study provided the first evidence that retrieval of the content of PST sessions may lead to better session recall compared to rehearsal of the PST sessions in individuals with a low working memory score. Implications for the use of cognitive support strategies within a therapeutic setting are discussed.
U2 - 10.1016/j.jbtep.2019.101485
DO - 10.1016/j.jbtep.2019.101485
M3 - Article
VL - 66
SP - 101485
JO - Journal of Behavior Therapy and Experimental Psychiatry
JF - Journal of Behavior Therapy and Experimental Psychiatry
SN - 0005-7916
ER -