Positive and negative future thinking fluency: A transdiagnostic meta-analysis of associations with psychopathology and hopelessness.
J Affect DisordMay 14, 2026 (epub)
Clinical ResearchPsychiatry
Matthias Pillny, Clementine J Edwards, Andrew MacLeod et al.
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In 30 seconds
This meta-analysis examined the associations between positive and negative future thinking fluency and hopelessness across various mental health conditions, involving 1726 participants. It found that clinical groups exhibited significantly reduced positive future thinking fluency (g = -0.88) compared to controls, while negative fluency showed no significant difference.
Key findings
- Clinical groups had significantly reduced positive FFT fluency compared to controls (g = -0.88).
- Negative FFT fluency did not differ significantly between clinical groups and controls (g = 0.25).
- Hopelessness was associated with lower positive FFT fluency (r = -0.19) and higher negative FFT fluency (r = 0.15).
Why it matters
Understanding the patterns of future thinking fluency can help clinicians identify transdiagnostic processes in psychopathology, particularly in relation to hopelessness, which is a critical factor in suicidality.