Conditional Goal Setting and Flexible Goal Adjustment in Depression

Abstract

Problematic goal adjustment in response to unattainable goals has been implicated in depression. This study aimed to investigate flexible goal adjustment and conditional goal setting in depressed individuals (n = 12) compared with a never-depressed group (n = 32). Participants were recruited through primary care settings and advertisements placed in community locations and online. Following self-referral, participants completed a telephone eligibility assessment and if eligible, completed self-report measures relating to conditional goal setting, goal expectancies and how they adjusted their goals. Depressed individuals were more pessimistic about goal attainment, exerted less effort towards personal goals and reported being less likely to reengage in alternative goals relative to never-depressed individuals. Depressed individuals were more likely to view the attainment of goals as necessary for a sense of happiness. The groups did not differ with respect to the number of goals generated, rumination and tendencies to disengage from unattainable goals. These findings suggest that goals and motivations are relevant to understanding depression, highlighting potential targets for intervention.