Browsing by Author "Peura, Maria"

Aims. Depression is a mental health disorder, which causes significant subjective distress, and, in addition it is a big economic problem. One key factor exposing a patient to depression and maintaining of depression is tendency to rumination. Rumination means repeated thinking of depression and all emotions, causes and consequences connected to it. Depressed people also occur a lot of avoidance behavior, which maintains symptoms. The aim of this study was to investigate effectiveness of rumination and behavioral activation focused cognitive-behavioral group therapy as a treatment for recurrent and prolonged depression. Methods. The material of this study was collected in Helsinki city’s Group therapy center in years 2018 – 2019. 57 people participated in the study. Their subjective well-being, depression symptoms and anxiety symptoms were measured in the beginning of the 14-week-long group therapy, and in the end of the therapy. Subjective well-being was also measured in one-month follow-up after the therapy. Subjective well-being had four factors: functioning, well-being, problems and risks, and these were also investigated. Participants were also asked about their experiences about the therapy by a separate form. For the analysis, repeated measures variance analyze was used, and, in addition, the change was examined by calculating effect sizes (Cohen’s d). Results and conclusions. According to the study, subjective well-being of the people involved the group therapy improved, as well as functioning, well-being and problems -factors. In depression- or anxiety symptoms did not happen statistically significant change. Patients found useful in group therapy receiving new information and understanding their selves and depression symptoms, peer support, and functional activation in everyday life. Even though results of this study are partly contradictory, this study offers encouraging evidence that focusing on rumination and behavioral activation in treatment for recurrent and prolonger depression is advisable.