Investigation and Comparison of Speech Rate in Normal Versus Emotion Induction conditions in Depressed and Non-depressed People

Speech rate is one of the clarity and fluency aspects of speech. It can affect   depressed patients’ clarity, fluency, and public communication due to impaired executive and cognitive functions.  Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the effect of inducing negative emotional experiences on speech rate in people with depressive disorder.

For this purpose, 150 Shiraz University students who were selected by convenience sampling method answered Beck Depression Inventory. Then, based on the cut of point and the clinical interview, 60 people were selected and placed in two depressed and non-depressed groups. Participants watched a text without emotional content in the first stage and a piece of film with negative emotional content in the second stage and then retold whatever came to their mind. Finally, the obtained data were analyzed using an independent sample t-test.

Findings showed that the speech rate scores in depressed people were significantly lower than non-depressed people (P<0.001); moreover, the scores of this group in the context of negative emotion induction were significantly lower than normal conditions (P<0.001).

Based on the results, the speech rate of the depressed group is different from the non-depressed people in normal conditions; furthermore, it was found that the context in which the person is placed can affect the speech rate. It was identified in depressed people with emotional reactions when responding to environmental stimuli.