Scientists named the thought that most strongly leads to depression

Psychologists from Pusan National University in South Korea, in collaboration with colleagues from Glasgow, investigated how the psychological factors behind thoughts of self-harm intertwine among adults in Italy, Korea, the United Kingdom, and the United States. It turned out that the feeling of being a burden to others was most directly associated with such thoughts. The results of the large-scale study were published in the Journal of Affective Disorders.

The uniqueness of the work lies in the fact that, for the first time, the researchers combined several theoretical layers into a single framework that had previously been studied separately: theories of self-harming behavior, social comparison, and reasons for living. Professor Shim Eun-jung and her team examined which patterns were consistent across all four countries and which depended on cultural context.

The study involved 2,018 individuals aged 18 to 60. Each of them assessed the severity of distressing thoughts, the feeling of being a burden, and the tendency to compare themselves with more successful people. Based on the responses, the researchers constructed a separate network of interconnected factors for each of the four countries.

It was found that the key roles in the emergence of distressing thoughts were played by the feeling of being a burden, a sense of defeat, and an internal experience of entrapment. At the same time, protective beliefs and stress coping skills helped alleviate the severity of such thoughts. The "central" factor in the emergence of depressive states turned out to be defeat, while the most robust factor was the feeling of being a burden. The model constructed by the researchers explained approximately a quarter of the variation in the severity of such thoughts.

"Based on the data obtained, distressing thoughts should be considered on two levels: some experiences are directly associated with them, while others intertwine into a broader psychological network," summarized Shim Eun-jung.

The overall structure of associations across countries proved to be similar; however, important exceptions were also identified. For instance, defeat was directly associated with distressing thoughts in Italy, Korea, and the United Kingdom, but not in the United States. The feeling of being a burden was associated with them everywhere except Korea. Protective beliefs were effective in the United Kingdom and Italy, while comparison based on abilities was linked to defeat only in Korea.

It is important to note that the study was cross-sectional in nature, so drawing conclusions about the causes of depressive states is premature for now. However, follow-up data have already been collected in several countries: the team is studying how these processes change over time and whether they are associated with the subsequent emergence of distressing thoughts.