Future-directed thinking and depression in relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis

Background. Research has shown that depression is associated with a view of the future characterized by reduced anticipation of future positive experiences, but not necessarily increased anticipation of future negative experiences. The aim of the present study was to investigate how participants with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (MS) anticipated their future in terms of positive and negative events. Design. A mixed design compared three groups of participants on a measure of future thinking using an adapted verbal fluency paradigm. Methods. Depressed MS participants (N = 14), non-depressed MS participants (N = 28) and healthy control participants (N = 26) were assessed on their ability to generate future positive and negative experiences. A content analysis was also conducted on the responses generated by the MS depressed and MS non-depressed groups according to whether or not they were related to MS. Results. The MS depressed group anticipated significantly fewer future positive events than the healthy control group and the MS non-depressed group. The three groups did not differ in the total numbers of anticipated future negative events, though the MS depressed group did anticipate a significantly higher proportion of MS-related negative events. Conclusions. Like depressed but physically healthy individuals, the MS depressed group was characterized by a lack of positive thoughts about the future, rather than an increased number of negative thoughts. The clinical implications of these findings are discussed along with recommendations for future research.