Attributional style and symptoms of depression in persons with multiple sclerosis

This study was designed to assess hypotheses derived from the hopelessness theory of depression (Abramson, Metalsky, & Alloy, 1989), specifically that negative attributional style would be associated with depressive symptoms and that negative life events would interact with negative attributional style to explain depressive symptoms in a sample of persons with multiple sclerosis (MS). The research was cross sectional in design. Data was collected via survey from 495 persons with MS. Attributional style was positively associated with depressive symptoms across the whole sample. The proposition that negative life events would interact with negative attributional style to explain depressive symptoms was also supported, although only for global attributional style. Longitudinal studies would assist in determining the causal direction proposed by the hopelessness theory of depression in this population. It is also appropriate that clinicians consider attributional style in persons with MS whom they are treating for depression.     

A longitudinal study of the hopelessness theory of depression: testing the diathesis-stress model within a differential reactivity and exposure framework

A ten-week prospective longitudinal study was conducted to test the diathesis-stress component of the hopelessness theory and to test whether negative attributional style leads to an increased exposure to stressors. Participants completed initial measures of attributional style and depressive symptoms followed by weekly assessments of depressive symptoms and daily hassles. Consistent with the diathesis-stress hypothesis, Hierarchical Linear Modeling revealed that attributional style moderated the impact of daily hassles on depressive symptoms. Negative attributional style predicted greater depressive symptom reactivity in response to stress. The results also indicated that attributional style was not predictive of the number of subsequent daily hassles. Thus, the data were supportive of a differential reactivity to stress model, but not supportive of a differential exposure to stress model. Implications for understanding the mechanisms involved in the hopelessness theory are discussed.     

Cognitive features associated with depressive symptoms in adolescence: directionality and specificity.

In this study we examined cognitive features that have been posited to contribute to depressive vulnerability in adolescents. Using a longitudinal sample of 331 young adolescents followed from 6th to 7th grade, cross-lagged structural equation analyses were conducted. Controlling for baseline levels of depressive, conduct, and anxiety symptoms, low self-worth was associated with a vulnerability to both depressive symptoms and conduct problems, whereas rejection sensitivity was uniquely predictive of increases in anxiety. In support of cognitive "scar" models, baseline depressive and conduct problems were both predictive of a more negative attributional style. Depressive symptoms also predicted more rejection sensitivity, whereas conduct problems predicted lower self-esteem.     

Pessimistic attributions and coping strategies as predictors of depressive symptoms in people with coronary heart disease

This two-wave longitudinal study examines the ability of pessimistic attributional style and coping strategies to predict depressive symptoms in a sample of 99 patients with coronary heart disease (CHD). After the cardiac episode, the globality dimension of this style was associated with increased depressive symptoms, and this association was mediated by the low use of effective coping strategies. Stability and globality dimensions of pessimistic attributional style could also predict depressive symptoms eight weeks later. Cardiac intervention programmes should include the treatment of these symptoms and promote effective coping strategies as well as the modification of these stable and global attributions.     

A prospective test of the hopelessness theory of depression in children.

Providing a developmental extension of the cognitive theories of depression, researchers and theorists have suggested that during early to middle childhood, attributional styles may mediate rather than moderate the association between negative life events and the development of depression. Within the context of the hopelessness theory of depression, we tested this hypothesis in a 6-month longitudinal study of 4th- and 5th-grade children. Using path analysis, we found support for the mediating role of attributional styles among both 4th and 5th graders. Supporting recent refinements in the hopelessness theory, the best fitting mediation model was one in which depressive symptoms exhibited reciprocal relations with the other variables. Specifically, attributional styles partially mediated the link between verbal victimization and residual change in depressive symptoms. In addition, initial depressive symptoms predicted negative changes in children's attributional styles and increases in verbal victimization across the follow-up. Contrary to our hypothesis, we also found support for the moderating role of attributional styles, although this was significant only among 5th graders.     

A Prospective Test of the Hopelessness Theory of Depression in Children

Providing a developmental extension of the cognitive theories of depression, researchers and theorists (e.g., Cole & Turner, 1993; Rose & Abramson, 1992) have suggested that during early to middle childhood, attributional styles may mediate rather than moderate the association between negative life events and the development of depression. Within the context of the hopelessness theory of depression (e.g., Abramson, Metalsky, & Alloy, 1989), we tested this hypothesis in a 6-month longitudinal study of 4th- and 5th-grade children. Using path analysis, we found support for the mediating role of attributional styles among both 4th and 5th graders. Supporting recent refinements in the hopelessness theory, the best fitting mediation model was one in which depressive symptoms exhibited reciprocal relations with the other variables. Specifically, attributional styles partially mediated the link between verbal victimization and residual change in depressive symptoms. In addition, initial depressive symptoms predicted negative changes in children's attributional styles and increases in verbal victimization across the follow-up. Contrary to our hypothesis, we also found support for the moderating role of attributional styles, although this was significant only among 5th graders.     

Comparison of Learned Helplessness Cognitions and Behavior in Children With High and Low Scores on the Children's Depression Inventory

We examined the relationship between depressive symptoms and the cognitive and behavioral deficits associated with learned helplessness in 50 elementary school children using self-report, parent report, and behavioral data. We compared children with high and low scores on the Children's Depression Inventory on attributional style, locus of control, social desirability responding, the Child Behavior Checklist, intelligence, demographic characteristics, academic achievement, and learned helplessness behaviors. Results supported previous findings that children with depressive symptoms demonstrate an attributional style similar to that of depressed adults. They were found to attribute bad outcomes to internal, stable, and global factors and good outcomes to external, unstable, and specific factors. We did not find children with depressive symptoms to display significantly more helpless behavior than nondepressed children. However, problems in the behavioral measure of learned helplessness were evident. Therapeutic and research implications are discussed.     

Attributional style of depressed chronic low back patients

This study used the Attributional Style Questionnaire to study the attributional styles of depressed and nondepressed chronic low back pain patients (N = 91) in order to test the Revised Learned Helplessness model's prediction of differences between the two. The results partly supported the hypothesis; an internal, stable, global style for negative events distinguished the depressed group from the nondepressed, but there were no differences in attributional style for positive events. The findings are consistent with recent reviews of the literature that have reported general support for the negative outcome style, but consistent failure to confirm the predictions associated with positive outcome style. In addition, the attributional style was not common to all subjects in the depressed group, which suggested that other factors may be involved in the development of different subtypes of depression. Implications for studying attributional aspects of depression and chronic low back pain are discussed.     

Psychological,Cognitive, and Interpersonal Correlates of Attributional Change in Adolescents

Examined the role of attributional style in adolescent's psychological functioning. Specifically, we examined the cross-sectional correlates of attributional style, as well as the correlates of changes in attributional style over time. A sample of 841 adolescents with either maladaptive or adaptive attributional styles completed a battery of self-report measures at 2 points in time, 1 year apart. Measures assessed depressive symptoms and suicidality, cognitive functioning (self-esteem, pessimism, coping skills), and interpersonal functioning (social competence, conflict with parents, social support from family and friends). Results indicated that attributional style is associated with multiple depression-related variables. In addition, youth experienced significant changes in their attributional styles over time (from adaptive to maladaptive and vice versa). Finally, changes in attributional style were associated with changes in psychological symptoms and other psychosocial variables. Results are discussed in terms of their implications for the prevention and treatment of adolescent depression.     

An examination of congruency hypothesis in hopelessness theory of depression

A longitudinal study was conducted to test two hypotheses, congruency and hopelessness-mediation, in hopelessness theory of depression. Three cognitive diatheses (attributional style, and inferential styles for consequences as well as the self), symptoms of depression, and hopelessness were measured in a survey of 279 men and women. About three months later, symptoms and hopelessness were measured again, along with negative life events in the interim. Some support was obtained for congruency hypothesis. Women with depressogenic attributional style in interpersonal domain became depressed when they experienced negative events in the domain, while men with depressogenic attributional style in achievement domain similarly became depressed. However, no comparable effect was found for the other diatheses: inferential styles. Hopelessness-mediation hypothesis was partly supported in interpersonal domain.     

The effect of noncontingent feedback on attributional style

The relationship between experiences with noncontingency and attributional style was examined in experimental and correlational models. One hundred and twenty-six college student subjects were provided noncontingent, contingent, or no feedback as to the correctness of their responses on a concept discrimination problem. They then completed an attributional style questionnaire, a scale designed to measure life experiences with noncontingency, and a depression inventory. The experimental hypothesis was that exposure to noncontingent outcomes, both in a laboratory and historically, would result in more depressive attributions than would exposure to contingent outcomes or to no outcomes. The manipulation of feedback contingencies produced the predicted effect on attributions for positive and negative events combined into a single composite difference score. A correlation between life experiences with noncontingency and attributions was found only for the positive events measure. However, such life experiences were correlated significantly with depression.     

Continuation cognitive-behavioural therapy maintains attributional style improvement in depressed patients responding acutely to fluoxetine

BACKGROUND: Little is known about how continuation and maintenance cognitive-behavioural therapy (CBT) influences important psychological constructs that may be associated with long-term outcome of major depressive disorder. The goal of this study was to examine whether CBT would help maintain attributional style changes experienced by patients during acute phase fluoxetine treatment. METHOD: Three hundred and ninety-one patients with major depressive disorder were enrolled in an open, fixed-dose 8 week fluoxetine trial. Remitters to this acute phase treatment (N= 132) were randomized to receive either fixed-dose fluoxetine (meds only) or fixed-dose fluoxetine plus cognitive-behavioural therapy (CBT+meds) during a 6-month continuation treatment phase. The Attributional Style Questionnaire (ASQ) was completed by patients at three time points - acute phase baseline, continuation phase baseline and continuation phase endpoint. Analysis of covariance was used to compare continuation phase ASQ composite score changes between groups. RESULTS: Patients in both treatment groups experienced significant gains in positive attributional style during the acute phase of treatment. Continuation phase ASQ composite change scores differed significantly between treatment groups, with the CBT + meds group maintaining acute phase positive attributional style changes, and the meds only group exhibiting a worsening of attributional style. The two treatment groups did not significantly differ in rates of relapse and final continuation phase visit HAMD-17 scores. CONCLUSIONS: In this sample, the addition of CBT to continuation psychopharmacological treatment was associated with maintenance of acute treatment phase attributional style gains. Further research is needed to evaluate the role of such gains in the long-term course of depressive illness.     

Differential associations of positive and negative expectations with depressive symptoms

Background

Recent research suggests that dysfunctional expectations are a particularly important subtype of cognitions in depression. However, it is unclear whether depressive symptoms are related to the presence of negative expectations, the absence of positive expectations, or both.

Methods

Using hierarchical linear regression analyses, the present study examined the predictive value of positive situation-specific expectations, negative situation-specific expectations, dispositional optimism, and dysfunctional attitudes for depressive symptoms 8 weeks later in a nonclinical sample (N = 157). It also examined whether the relationship between dispositional optimism and dysfunctional attitudes with depressive symptoms is mediated through situational expectations.

Results

Cross-sectionally, depressive symptoms were more strongly associated with the presence of negative expectations than with the absence of positive expectations. In the longitudinal and mediation analyses, none of the cognitive variables had significant associations with depressive symptoms at follow-up beyond the strong influence of baseline depressive symptoms.

Conclusions

The presence of negative expectations was cross-sectionally more strongly associated with depressive symptoms than a lack of positive expectations, presumably due to higher variability in negative expectations in this nonclinical sample. The longitudinal and mediation analyses failed to find significant incremental effects of any of the cognitive variables because baseline depression explained the largest proportion of variance.     

Measuring Cognitive Vulnerability to Depression in Adolescence: Reliability,Validity, and Gender Differences

Evaluated the psychometric properties of a newly created measure of cognitive vulnerability to depression for use with adolescents. Previous measures have shown poor internal consistency reliability and have not completely assessed all hypothesized components of cognitive vulnerability. High school students completed questionnaires assessing cognitive vulnerability to depression, negative life events, depressive symptoms, and general internalizing and externalizing symptoms. The Adolescent Cognitive Style Questionnaire (ACSQ) demonstrated excellent internal consistency reliability and good test-retest reliability. Confirmatory factor analysis showed there were 3 latent factors to the ACSQ. Construct validity was supported by significant correlations with another attributional style questionnaire, as well as with depressive and internalizing symptoms. The interaction of ACSQ with negative events significantly predicted concurrent depressive and internalizing symptoms but not externalizing problems. Last, cognitive vulnerability mediated the gender difference in depressive symptoms. Overall, results suggest that the ACSQ is a highly reliable and valid measure of cognitive vulnerability to depression in adolescence.     

7年级学生应激事件、归因方式对其抑郁症状的影响

目的:探索应激事件、归因方式对7年级学生抑郁症状的影响,重点探寻归因方式在应激事件对抑郁症状影响中的调节与中介效应。方法:使用儿童应激事件量表、儿童归因方式量表以及儿童抑郁量表间隔2个月前后测调查了312名7年级学生,并对调查数据进行结构方程模型的路径分析。结果:归因方式在应激事件对抑郁症状的影响中没有显著的调节效应,但却具有显著的部分中介效应。结论:在对儿童抑郁实施干预时,应充分考虑各种应激事件可能对儿童归因方式造成的不良影响,在尽力消除或减少应激事件发生的同时,采取措施引导儿童对应激事件做合理的归因,以帮助儿童形成积极理性的归因方式,降低个体抑郁发生的易感性。     

Symptom interpretation and quality of life in patients with irritable bowel syndrome

BACKGROUND: Patients with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) are often believed to attribute unexplained symptoms to physical disorders. We tested this hypothesis by assessing symptom interpretation, symptom severity, and quality of life in patients attending hospital gastroenterology clinics. AIM: The main aims of this study were: to assess the symptom attributional styles of hospital gastroenterological outpatients with IBS and non-IBS disorders in comparison with unselected patients attending their GP; to establish the relationships between attributional style, quality of life, and IBS severity score in hospital gastroenterology outpatients; and to test the hypothesis that the IBS severity score correlates with a somatising style of symptom attribution. DESIGN OF STUDY: Systematic quantitative analysis. SETTING: General practice and gastroenterology outpatient clincs. METHOD: Patients attending hospital gastroenterology clinics were recruited prospectively and completed validated questionnaires. These were the Medical Outcome Survey (MOS SF-36), the IBS Severity Score, and the Symptom Interpretation Questionnaire (SIQ). The latter measures the tendency to interpret somatic symptoms in three ways: as a physical disorder (somatising attributional style), as an emotional response to stress (psychologising attributional style), or as a normal experience (normalising attributional style). The diagnosis of IBS was based on the Rome II criteria; the control groups comprised gastroenterology outpatients with non-IBS diagnoses and unselected patients attending general practice. RESULTS: Quality of life in IBS patients attending hospital outpatients (n = 32, male:female ratio 9:23) was not significantly different from that of non-IBS patients (n = 70, male:female ratio 32:38). In all patient groups, the normalising style of symptom interpretation predominated; psychologising styles correlated with impaired quality of life in the mental health domains. In IBS patients, the tendency to seek a psychological explanation for physical symptoms correlated significantly with the severity of the abdominal pain. CONCLUSIONS: Symptom interpretation does not differ between IBS and non-IBS patients referred to hospital gastroenterology clinics. The tendency to attribute somatic symptoms to a physical disorder does not explain why only a minority of IBS subjects seek medical attention. The idea that most IBS patients are committed to a somatic explanation of symptoms appears to be a myth.     

Alexithymia,empathy, negative affect and physical symptoms in patients with asthma

Although alexithymia has been found to be associated with physical symptoms in psychosomatic disorders such as asthma, mechanisms linking this association are unknown. However, affective alexithymic features may be associated with physical symptoms in the presence of deficits in affective characteristics such as low empathy and high negative affect. This study aimed to assess direct effects of alexithymic traits on physical symptoms and indirect effects of these subscales through empathy and negative affect (e.g. depressive, anxious and stress symptoms) by controlling for asthma severity in patients with asthma. Three hundred patients with asthma completed the Toronto Alexithymia Scale‐20 (TAS‐20), the Basic Empathy Scale (BES), the Depression Anxiety Stress Scales‐21 (DASS‐21) and the Physical Symptoms Inventory (PSI). After controlling for asthma severity, the results showed that alexithymia subscales of the TAS‐20 had no direct effects on physical symptoms, but the difficulty in identifying feelings (DIF) subscale of the TAS‐20 was associated with affective empathy and negative affect. Affective empathy was significantly related to negative affect. Affective empathy and negative affect were associated with physical symptoms. The affective subscale of alexithymia on the TAS‐20, that is DIF, indirectly affected physical symptoms through affective empathy and negative affect. Findings suggest that patients with asthma who have high levels of DIF may show high physical symptoms in the presence of low affective empathy and high negative affect.     

Long-term outcome of a school-based, universal approach to prevention of depression in adolescents

In this study, the authors examined the 2-, 3-, and 4-year outcomes of a school-based, universal approach to the prevention of adolescent depression. Despite initial short-term positive effects, these benefits were not maintained over time. Adolescents who completed the teacher-administered cognitive-behavioral intervention did not differ significantly from adolescents in the monitoring-control condition in terms of changes in depressive symptoms, problem solving, attributional style, or other indicators of psychopathology from preintervention to 4-year follow-up. Results were equivalent irrespective of initial level of depressive symptoms.     

大学生归因方式与人格的相关研究

目的：探索归因方式与人格的关系。方法：对大学生进行归因方式问卷(ASQ)和卡特尔16项人格问卷(16-PF)的测定。结果：高敏感性、忧虑性、紧张性，焦虑，感情用事，心理健康的个性因素分低的大学生倾向于具有消极的归因方式．这些人格特征是消极归因方式的核心人格。高怀疑性、忧虑性，焦虑．专业成就者个性因素分和新环境中有成长能力的个性因素分低的大学生倾向于以宿命归因事件。结论：消极归因方式的核心人格为高敏感性、忧虑性、紧张性，焦虑，感情用事，心理健康的个性因素分低。     

Parent and Child ADHD Symptoms in Relation to Parental Attitudes and Parenting: Testing the Similarity-Fit Hypothesis

Objective: We tested the similarity-fit hypothesis that predicts more positive parenting when both parent and child have high levels of ADHD symptoms compared to when only one does. Method: Mothers and fathers of 156, 5 to 13 year old sons participated (110 boys with ADHD, 46 without). Parent inattentive and hyperactive-impulsive symptoms were examined, in interaction with child ADHD, as predictors of parental tolerance, empathy, encouragement of child autonomy, and positive parenting. Results: Several interactions of parent ADHD symptoms and child ADHD were detected which suggested that for parents with low levels of symptoms, the presence of child ADHD was associated with less positive parenting attitudes and behavior, but this negative relation between positive parenting and child ADHD was dampened among parents with more ADHD symptoms. Conclusions: Considered alongside the well documented parenting difficulties associated with parental ADHD, our findings suggest that parental ADHD symptoms also may help to mitigate some of the challenges facing families of children with ADHD.