Cognitive Therapy and Research

, Volume 36, Issue 6, pp 827–832 | Cite as

Perceived Stress, Anhedonia and Illusion of Control: Evidence for Two Mediational Models

Brief Report
First Online:

Abstract

Illusion of control (IOC) refers to the perception that one has control over an outcome that is, in actuality, uncontrollable; low IOC has been linked to depression. Prior studies in depression have mostly assessed IOC using paradigms involving positive outcomes, suggesting that IOC might be influenced by anhedonia. Recent evidence indicates that anhedonia, in turn, is linked to stress. To clarify such links, we examined putative relationships among perceived stress, anhedonia, and IOC (as assessed by a non-contingency task) in 63 participants. Perceived stress and anhedonia, but not general depressive symptoms, were associated with reduced IOC. Moreover, anhedonia fully mediated the relationship between stress perception and IOC, and perceived stress partially mediated the relationship between IOC and anhedonia. Findings suggest that (1) IOC is integrally related to hedonic capacity, (2) reward processing deficits may promote reduced IOC, and/or (3) a low IOC may promote depression via anhedonia-related mechanisms.

Keywords

Illusion of control Reward Stress Depression Anhedonia 

Abbreviation

IOC

Illusion of control

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Notes

Acknowledgments

We are grateful for Dr. Suzanne C. Thompson’s assistance with IOC task design. This study was partially supported by NIMH (R01MH68376, R21MH078979), Merck Awards for Genome-Related Research (Harvard University), and Talley Fund (Harvard University) grants to D. A. Pizzagalli. Additionally, the study was supported by a Sackler Scholar in Psychobiology (Harvard University) scholarship awarded to R. Bogdan and Harvard College Research Program grants to P. Pringle. Dr. Pizzagalli has received consulting fees from ANT North America Inc. (Advanced Neuro Technology) and AstraZeneca, and honoraria from AstraZeneca for studies unrelated to this project.

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Copyright information

© Springer Science+Business Media, LLC 2011

Authors and Affiliations

  1. 1.Department of PsychologyHarvard UniversityCambridgeUSA
  2. 2.Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Center For Depression, Anxiety and Stress ResearchMcLean HospitalBelmontUSA
  3. 3.Department of Psychology and NeuroscienceDuke UniversityDurhamUSA

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