Denkweise verändern die Depression nach Katastrophen. Diejenigen, die die Intervention erhielten, zeigten drei Monate später niedrigere Depressionsniveaus im Vergleich zu einer Kontrollgruppe. Blutuntersuchungen zeigten auch niedrigere Spiegel an C-reaktives Protein, einen Entzündungsmarker, der mit chronischem Stress und Krankheiten verbunden war

Catastrophes, by definition, are devastating, but they can often be catalysts for lasting, positive change – and if people can adopt that perspective, they may see some real benefits, a Stanford-led study suggests.

In a randomized, controlled trial, a one-hour intervention was given to a group of adults designed to shift their mindset, or core beliefs and assumptions, about having lived through a catastrophe like the COVID-19 pandemic, with the goal of seeing growth opportunities in the experience.

Those who received the intervention showed lower levels of depression three months later compared to a control group. Blood tests also revealed lower levels of C-reactive protein, an inflammatory marker linked to chronic stress and disease. The findings were reported in the journal Brain, Behavior, and Immunity.

“As much as we might wish to live untouched by trauma or catastrophe, the reality is that few of us are spared from such struggle,” said Alia Crum, the study’s senior author and an associate professor of psychology in the Stanford School of Humanities and Sciences. “The study was inspired by our desire to help people reflect on their experience of the pandemic with an eye on how it could help them grow.”

[https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0889159125002806?via%3Dihub](https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0889159125002806?via%3Dihub)