What is the purpose of this research?

During depression, many people experience negative memories which ‘pop’ into their mind spontaneously. For example, suddenly remembering a fight you had with a friend. These memories can be distressing and may play a role in keeping depression going by impacting your mood. This study is looking at what kinds of memories pop into our mind when we are depressed and how people respond to these memories. We are also interested in investigating if the experience of these memories is different between cultures.

Who do we need to participate?

  • Individuals who are currently experiencing depression, and
  • who are born in Australia and identify as having an ancestral European family background, OR are born in Japan, Korea, China, Hong Kong, Taiwan and identify as Asian, and have lived in Australia for less than 5 years,
  • Participants must also be aged between 18 and 60 years, must be fluent in English and must not have a diagnosis of post-traumatic stress disorder, substance dependence, a history of psychosis, or an organic brain injury.

What does participation in this project involve?

We first ask interested participants to complete a quick (5 minute) screening questionnaire to see if you are eligible: http://tinyurl.com/memory-culture
If you’re eligible, participation involves:
1. Meet with the researcher (at Monash University) to answer some questions about recent mental health symptoms, and complete some brief questionnaires about your mood and cultural identity.
2. Complete an on-line memory diary – in your own time – where you tell us about 2 sad/stressful/negative/upsetting memories that pop into your spontaneously. The diary can be completed on a smart-phone, computer, or tablet.

Participants who complete all three components of the study (outlined above) will receive $25 (cash) for their time. Additionally, everyone who completes the screening questionnaire will go into the draw to win a $50 gift voucher.

When does this project close for participation?

January 2019.

How will this information be used?

The information that you provide us during your participation will form part of Ms. Mihailova’s Doctoral thesis and will potentially be written into research papers that may be published in an academic journal. No individual or personal information will be identifiable in any way, in any future published materials arising from this research.

Who is conducting the trial?

The study is being conducted by Dr Laura Jobson (Chief Investigator) and Ms. Stella Mihailova (Student Researcher) from the School of Psychological Sciences at Monash University.

Where to go for more information

If you are interested in participating, please complete the screening questionnaire at: http://tinyurl.com/memory-culture

If you have questions, please email stella.mihailova@monash.edu

Auspicing Institution and Ethics Committee Approval

This study has been approved by the Monash University Human Research Ethics Committee (MUHREC), study number 0250.