Measuring Changes in Negative and Positive Thinking in Patients With Depression

Purpose: The purpose of this article is to describe changes in positive and negative thinking in adult inpatients with depression who attended an Advanced Practice Nurse-led Cognitive Behavioral Therapy group on 1 inpatient unit in a large medical center. Design and Methods: A descriptive design with a retrospective cohort chart review was conducted (n= 427). Positive and negative thinking were measured by the Automatic Thoughts Questionnaire at admission and at discharge. Findings and Practice Implications: A paired t-test revealed a significant change (p = .001) in both positive and negative thinking in the desired direction between admission and discharge. It is important to measure clinical improvements.