Attributional style and perceived stress in endogenous and reactive depression |
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Authors: | P Willner M Wilkes A Orwin |
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Affiliation: | Psychology Department, City of London Polytechnic, U.K. |
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Abstract: | The depressive Attributional Style Questionnaire (Peterson et al., 1982) and the Hassles and Uplifts Questionnaire (Kanner et al., 1981) were administered to melancholic and non-melancholic depressed patients (matched for severity according to a doctors/nurses rating scale), and to non-depressed volunteers. Compared to the other two groups, melancholic patients had higher internality and stability scores for negative attributions, and reported a greater intensity of 'hassles' and a lower frequency of 'uplifts'. The intensity of 'uplifts' was reduced in both depressed groups. On all other cognitive measures, the reactive patients were indistinguishable from non-depressed volunteers. The results suggest that the 'depressive attributional style' may be specific to melancholic patients, and underline the importance of studying well-defined diagnostic subgroups. |
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