Connected Lives - Overcoming the Self through Empathy (CLOSE): A Dyadic, Multi-Method Study

项目总结 该项目试图通过以下方式阐明精神疾病跨诊断风险的潜在机制 整合了两个传统上截然不同的研究领域。一项工作表明，重复性的负面影响 思维(RNT)--一种跨诊断的风险因素，其特征是频繁、消极、自我聚焦的想法- 增加了包括抑郁和焦虑在内的一系列精神健康障碍的易感性。第二行 研究表明，高质量的社会关系与较低的精神和 身体疾病；相反，关系压力、敌意和脱节会加剧孤独、孤立、 精神和身体上的疾病。这项提议将测试一种新的模式，在该模式中，RNT和社会联系 作为一个整体的一部分一起工作。这个模型的中心论点是，RNT将其 通过以下方式损害与他人有意义地联系的能力，从而对心理健康产生有害影响 移情--社交关系中的一个重要组成部分，它涉及到分享和理解他人的情绪。 这个模型的关键是假设RNT和同理心是相互作用的，也就是说，它们都会影响两者 亲密关系中的伴侣。为了测试这个模型，这个项目将实施一个多层次的研究设计 结合自我报告、神经成像和自然观察来研究RNT、社会关系和心理 在已建立的密切关系的背景下的健康。具体来说，该项目将采用多种方法 对200对成熟的浪漫情侣(年轻人和中年人；N=400)进行评估 以下目的：(1)检查RNT和伙伴导向的神经和行为之间的联系 浪漫情侣之间的共鸣；(2)确定神经共鸣在二元社会-情绪和 精神健康结果；(3)确定RNT在二元精神健康结果中的作用；以及(4)检查 神经共情是否在RNT与纵向心理健康之间的双向联系中起中介作用 结果。推进之前的工作，这项拟议的研究将检验一种新的和经过验证的神经共鸣 在夫妇中的每个成员中使用功能磁共振进行社会反馈任务，使用二元建模 统计数据。此外，RNT和日常社交行为将使用两个移动应用程序在日常生活中进行评估 由研究小组开发的：思维之窗和电子激活记录器(EAR)。最后， 将在6个月内对精神健康状况进行评估，以考虑到主要结果的预期变化 利息。为了达到这项研究的目标，这项提议将一个跨学科的研究团队聚集在一起， 跨拟议研究的所有方面的专业知识：RNT、抑郁症、神经共鸣、社会 连通性、二元性建模和动态评估。归根结底，这项工作有望 促进对精神病理学的个人和社会风险如何共同作用的科学理解 塑造情绪障碍。反过来，这项研究有可能帮助确定新的干预目标 在为提高心理健康服务中加强社会联系。

PROJECT SUMMARY This project seeks to shed light on mechanisms underlying transdiagnostic risk for mental illness by integrating two traditionally disparate lines of research. One line of work indicates that repetitive negative thinking (RNT)—a transdiagnostic risk factor characterized by frequent, negative, self-focused thoughts— increases vulnerability for a range of mental health disorders, including depression and anxiety. A second line of work demonstrates that high-quality social relationships are associated with lower rates of mental and physical illness; conversely, relationship stress, hostility, and disconnection exacerbate loneliness, isolation, and mental and physical illness. This proposal will test a new model in which RNT and social connectedness work together as parts of an integrated whole. The central argument of this model is that RNT exerts its pernicious effects on mental health by impairing the ability to meaningfully connect with others through empathy—a critical component of social connection that involves sharing and understanding others’ emotions. Critical to this model is the hypothesis that RNT and empathy operate dyadically; that is, they affect both partners in a close relationship. To test this model, this project will implement a multilevel research design that integrates self-report, neuroimaging, and naturalistic observation to study RNT, social connection, and mental health in the context of established close relationships. Specifically, the project will employ a multi-method approach across 200 established romantic couples (young adults to those in middle age; N = 400) to assess the following aims: (1) Examine associations between RNT and partner-directed neural and behavioral empathy among romantic couples; (2) Determine the role of neural empathy in dyadic social-emotional and mental health outcomes; (3) Determine the role of RNT in dyadic mental health outcomes; and (4) Examine whether neural empathy mediates the dyadic association between RNT and longitudinal mental health outcomes. Advancing prior work, the proposed research will examine neural empathy in a novel and validated social feedback task using functional MRI in each member of the couple, to be modelled using dyadic statistics. Additionally, RNT and daily social behaviors will be assessed in everyday life using two mobile apps developed by the research team: Mind Window and the Electronically Activated Recorder (EAR). Finally, mental health will be assessed over 6 months to allow for prospective changes in the primary outcomes of interest. To tackle the study’s aims, this proposal brings together an interdisciplinary team of researchers with expertise spanning all facets of the proposed research: RNT, depression, neural empathy, social connectedness, dyadic modelling, and ambulatory assessment. Ultimately, this work holds promise for advancing scientific understanding of how individual and social risks for psychopathology operate together to shape emotional disorders. In turn, this research has the potential to help identify novel intervention targets to strengthen social connectedness in service of improving mental health.