A Causal Model of Hopelessness Depression in Chinese Undergraduate Students

The diathesis-stress component hypothesis and the mediational role of hopelessness proposed by the hopelessness theory of depression were tested using data from a 16-week longitudinal study of Chinese university undergraduates. Participants (N = 240) completed self-report measures assessing attributional style, negative life events, hopelessness, and hopelessness depression symptoms at 3 time points. The diathesis-stress hypothesis was tested using the latent growth curve model and results showed that as postulated in the hopelessness theory, depressogenic attributional style predicted hopelessness depression following the occurrence of negative life events. Specifically, hopelessness played a partial mediating role in the etiological chain of hopelessness depression.

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A Longitudinal Examination of the Hopelessness Theory of Depression in People Who Have Multiple Sclerosis

Behavioural Neurology ◽

10.1155/2015/190405 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 2015 ◽

pp. 1-5 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

I. I. Kneebone ◽

S. Guerrier ◽

E. Dunmore ◽

E. Jones ◽

C. Fife-Schaw

Keyword(s):

Multiple Sclerosis ◽

Depressive Symptoms ◽

Life Events ◽

Attributional Style ◽

Negative Life Events ◽

Phase 1 ◽

Study Phase ◽

Hopelessness Theory ◽

Hopelessness Theory Of Depression ◽

Negative Attributional Style

Purpose. Hopelessness theory predicts that negative attributional style will interact with negative life events over time to predict depression. The intention of this study was to test this in a population who are at greater risk of negative life events, people with Multiple Sclerosis (MS).Method. Data, including measures of attributional style, negative life events, and depressive symptoms, were collected via postal survey in 3 phases, each one a year apart.Results. Responses were received from over 380 participants at each study phase. Negative attributional style was consistently able to predict future depressive symptoms at low to moderate levels of association; however, this ability was not sustained when depressive symptoms at Phase 1 were controlled for. No substantial evidence to support the hypothesised interaction of negative attributional style and negative life events was found.Conclusions. Findings were not supportive of the causal interaction proposed by the hopelessness theory of depression. Further work considering other time frames, using methods to prime attributional style before assessment and specifically assessing the hopelessness subtype of depression, may prove to be more fruitful. Intervention directly to address attributional style should also be considered.

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Test of the Hopelessness Theory of Depression: Drawing Negative Inference from Negative Life Events

Psychological Reports ◽

10.2466/pr0.1998.82.2.355 ◽

1998 ◽

Vol 82 (2) ◽

pp. 355-363 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Emine G. Kapçi

Keyword(s):

Prospective Study ◽

Life Events ◽

Beck Depression Inventory ◽

Undergraduate Students ◽

Negative Life Events ◽

The Self ◽

Two Stage ◽

Hopelessness Theory ◽

Hopelessness Theory Of Depression

The hopelessness theory of depression, i.e., that drawing negative inference from the occurrence of negative life events culminates in depression, was examined. A total of 34 dysphoric and 36 nondepressed undergraduate students participated in a two-stage prospective study lasting three months. The subjects completed the Beck Depression Inventory and Hopelessness Scale at both sessions and the Life Events Experience List at the second session. It is concluded that the inference of negative characteristics about the self from negative life events, coupled with the experience of negative life events contributes to the development of depression through hopelessness. The findings are discussed in relation to the Abramson, et al. hopelessness model of depression.

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Attributional Style as a Predictor of Hopelessness Depression

Journal of Cognitive Psychotherapy ◽

10.1891/jcpiq-v20i4a008 ◽

2006 ◽

Vol 20 (4) ◽

pp. 447-458 ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

Edward D. Sturman ◽

Myriam Mongrain ◽

Paul M. Kohn

Keyword(s):

Attributional Style ◽

Latent Variable ◽

Structural Equation ◽

Depression Scale ◽

Epidemiological Studies ◽

Psychomotor Retardation ◽

Equation Modeling ◽

Depression Symptoms ◽

Negative Events ◽

Hopelessness Depression

Stable and global attributions for negative events were tested as predictors of hopelessness depression symptoms, obtained from a diagnostic interview for a past depressive episode in a sample of 102 graduate students. All participants were administered the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM–IV, Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale, Personal Style Inventory, and a modified version of the Extended Attributional Style Questionnaire. A stable and global attributional style for negative events was significantly associated with a composite of hopelessness depression symptoms. A regression analysis revealed that attributional style significantly postdicted hopelessness depression symptoms when controlling for both sociotropy and autonomy. Structural equation modeling supported a model in which stable and global attributions predicted a latent variable, which we refer to as a motivational deficit, involving psychomotor retardation and fatigue as indicators. Therefore, this study obtained some support for the hopelessness model and highlights the vulnerability posed by attributional style ( Abramson, Metalsky, & Alloy, 1989 ).

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Assessment of Undergraduates’ Real-World Outcomes of Critical Thinking in Everyday Situations

Psychological Reports ◽

10.1177/0033294117701906 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 120 (4) ◽

pp. 707-720 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Amanda R. Franco ◽

Patrício S. Costa ◽

Heather A. Butler ◽

Leandro S. Almeida

Keyword(s):

Critical Thinking ◽

Life Events ◽

Real World ◽

Cognitive Skills ◽

Negative Life Events ◽

Self Report ◽

First Year Students ◽

Portuguese Version ◽

Original Proposal ◽

The Impact

Critical thinking is a kind of “good” thinking that integrates a set of cognitive skills and dispositions to use those skills with knowledge to increase the chances of success in academic settings, job market, and daily life. The impact of critical thinking on life events, in face of everyday decisions and challenges, is still unclear, and further research is needed. In this exploratory study, a sample of 230 first-year students of a Bachelor’s Degree or a Master’s Degree in Portugal completed an experimental Portuguese version of the Real-World Outcomes, a self-report inventory measuring everyday negative life events that are mediated by a lack of critical thinking. Based on exploratory factor analysis results and theoretical premises, changes were made to the Portuguese version of the inventory that was administered, and items were aggregated into six dimensions, creating a new version that is more familiar to Portuguese young adults in college. This original proposal of the inventory presents six types of negative life events resulting from a lack of critical thinking: health neglect, mismanagement, slackness, poor impulse control, academic negligence, and rashness. Both limitations and future potentialities of this version are presented.

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A longitudinal twin and sibling study of the hopelessness theory of depression in adolescence and young adulthood

Psychological Medicine ◽

10.1017/s0033291716000489 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 46 (9) ◽

pp. 1935-1949 ◽

Cited By ~ 10

Author(s):

M. A. Waszczuk ◽

A. E. Coulson ◽

A. M. Gregory ◽

T. C. Eley

Keyword(s):

Attributional Style ◽

Internalizing Symptoms ◽

Environmental Influences ◽

Anxiety Symptoms ◽

Depression Symptoms ◽

Depression And Anxiety ◽

Cognitive Content ◽

Hopelessness Theory ◽

Co Morbidity ◽

Hopelessness Theory Of Depression

BackgroundMaladaptive cognitive biases such as negative attributional style and hopelessness have been implicated in the development and maintenance of depression. According to the hopelessness theory of depression, hopelessness mediates the association between attributional style and depression. The aetiological processes underpinning this influential theory remain unknown. The current study investigated genetic and environmental influences on hopelessness and its concurrent and longitudinal associations with attributional style and depression across adolescence and emerging adulthood. Furthermore, given high co-morbidity between depression and anxiety, the study investigated whether these maladaptive cognitions constitute transdiagnostic cognitive content common to both internalizing symptoms.MethodA total of 2619 twins/siblings reported attributional style (mean age 15 and 17 years), hopelessness (mean age 17 years), and depression and anxiety symptoms (mean age 17 and 20 years).ResultsPartial correlations revealed that attributional style and hopelessness were uniquely associated with depression but not anxiety symptoms. Hopelessness partially mediated the relationship between attributional style and depression. Hopelessness was moderately heritable (A = 0.37, 95% confidence interval 0.28–0.47), with remaining variance accounted for by non-shared environmental influences. Independent pathway models indicated that a set of common genetic influences largely accounted for the association between attributional style, hopelessness and depression symptoms, both concurrently and across development.ConclusionsThe results provide novel evidence that associations between attributional style, hopelessness and depression symptoms are largely due to shared genetic liability, suggesting developmentally stable biological pathways underpinning the hopelessness theory of depression. Both attributional style and hopelessness constituted unique cognitive content in depression. The results inform molecular genetics research and cognitive treatment approaches.

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Construct Validity of the Adolescent Resilience Scale

Psychological Reports ◽

10.2466/pr0.2003.93.3f.1217 ◽

2003 ◽

Vol 93 (3_suppl) ◽

pp. 1217-1222 ◽

Cited By ~ 57

Author(s):

Atsushi Oshio ◽

Hitoshi Kaneko ◽

Shinji Nagamine ◽

Motoyuki Nakaya

Keyword(s):

Construct Validity ◽

Life Events ◽

Undergraduate Students ◽

General Health ◽

Negative Life Events ◽

General Health Questionnaire ◽

Health Questionnaire ◽

Resilience Scale ◽

Mean Differences ◽

Psychological Features

The aim of this study was to assess the construct validity of the Adolescent Resilience Scale which measures the psychological features of resilient individuals. Research involving this scale, the Negative Life Events Scale, and the General Health Questionnaire was conducted with a group of 207 Japanese undergraduate students (104 men and 103 women; M age = 20.2 yr., SD =.9). A cluster analysis for the Negative Life Events Scale and General Health Questionnaire yielded three clusters: (1) mentally healthy with little experience of Negative Life Events, (2) poorer mental health with many experiences of Negative Life Events, (3) mentally healthy despite many experiences of Negative Life Events. These three groups were defined as (1) Well Adjusted, (2) Vulnerable, and (3) Resilient, respectively. Mean differences in scores on the Adolescent Resilience Scale among the three groups were subjected to one-way analysis of variance. The mean scores of both the Well Adjusted and Resilient groups were higher than that of the Vulnerable group, and therefore support the construct validity of the Adolescent Resilience Scale.

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An Examination of the Symptom Component of the Hopelessness Theory of Depression in a Sample of Schoolchildren

Journal of Cognitive Psychotherapy ◽

10.1891/0889-8391.15.1.33 ◽

2001 ◽

Vol 15 (1) ◽

pp. 33-48 ◽

Cited By ~ 10

Author(s):

John R. Z. Abela ◽

David U. D’Alessandro

Keyword(s):

Factor Analysis ◽

Depressive Symptomatology ◽

Strong Support ◽

Response To Treatment ◽

Depression Symptoms ◽

Hopelessness Theory ◽

Symptom Profile ◽

Hopelessness Depression ◽

Hopelessness Theory Of Depression ◽

Distinct Subtype

The hopelessness theory of depression hypothesizes the existence of a distinct subtype of depression, hopelessness depression, that may be identified by its unique symptom profile as well as by its specific etiology, course, and response to treatment. The goal of the current study was to examine the symptom component of the hopelessness theory in a sample of schoolchildren between the ages of 7 and 13. Three-hundred-and-seventy-three participants completed measures of hopelessness and depressive symptomatology. Hopelessness was significantly associated with all six hypothesized symptoms of hopelessness depression (100%) but with only two of the four non-hopelessness depression symptoms (50%). Further, when symptoms were evaluated in combination, hopelessness depression symptoms exhibited a significantly greater association with hopelessness than did non-hopelessness depression symptoms. An exploratory factor analysis revealed that symptoms that were associated with hopelessness formed independent factors when compared to symptoms not associated with hopelessness. Overall, the results provide strong support for the symptom component of the hopelessness theory in children.

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Comparability of Self-Report Checklist and Interview Data in the Assessment of Stressful Life Events in Young Adults

Psychological Reports ◽

10.2466/pr0.2003.93.2.459 ◽

2003 ◽

Vol 93 (2) ◽

pp. 459-471 ◽

Cited By ~ 29

Author(s):

Peter M. Lewinsohn ◽

Paul Rohde ◽

Jeffrey M. Gau

Keyword(s):

Young Adults ◽

Life Events ◽

Adolescent Depression ◽

Stressful Life Events ◽

Self Report ◽

Stressful Life ◽

Depression Symptoms ◽

Inclusion Criteria ◽

Incremental Value ◽

Stress Interview

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the incremental value of conducting an interview to assess stressful life events over the self-report questionnaire approach, first by examining the degree to which life events reported on a questionnaire met inclusion criteria in a detailed stress interview, and second, by comparing the magnitude of prospective associations with depression symptoms for the two different assessment procedures. Data from the Oregon Adolescent Depression Project were examined, in which 191 community-residing young adults (55% female; M age = 23.6, SD = 0.6) completed a mailed questionnaire assessing the frequency with which 33 life events had occurred to them or to other important people in their lives prior to the diagnostic and stress interviews. An average of 67.5% of events occurring to self met criteria for classification as a life event on the stress interview, as did 19.7% of the events occurring to others. Events having a large effect on the participant had a greater likelihood of meeting inclusion criteria on the stress interview. Contrary to expectation, stress scores from the interview assessment did not result in stronger associations with depression. Recommendations for assessment of stressful life events are offered.

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Expanding our understanding of the relationship between negative life events and depressive symptoms in black and white adolescent girls

Psychological Medicine ◽

10.1017/s0033291704003186 ◽

2004 ◽

Vol 34 (7) ◽

pp. 1319-1330 ◽

Cited By ~ 47

Author(s):

DEBRA L. FRANKO ◽

RUTH H. STRIEGEL-MOORE ◽

KATHLEEN M. BROWN ◽

BRUCE A. BARTON ◽

ROBERT P. McMAHON ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Depressive Symptoms ◽

Life Events ◽

Adolescent Girls ◽

Negative Life Events ◽

White Female ◽

Depression Symptoms ◽

Black And White ◽

Domains Of Life ◽

Diverse Groups ◽

The Relationship

Background. Little is known about the extent to which negative life events predict depressive symptoms in ethnically diverse groups or whether this relationship is proximal or enduring.Method. The relationship between negative life events in adolescence and depressive symptoms in young adulthood was studied in a sample of over 1300 black and white female adolescents. Five domains of life events were assessed at age 16 years and depressive symptoms were measured at age 18 and again at age 21 years. Questions of interest included whether the association continued over time and whether there were specific domains of life events that predicted symptoms better than others.Results. The total number of negative life events at time 1 predicted depressive symptoms at both time 2 and time 3. Interpersonal loss events and other adversities, however, predicted depressive symptoms only at time 2, whereas at time 3, only interpersonal trauma was a significant predictor. No ethnic differences were found, indicating that the relationship between life events and depressive symptoms appears to be similar for black and white adolescent girls.Conclusions. The results suggest that negative life events and some specific type of stressors increase the likelihood of the onset of depression symptoms in future years, for both black and white girls. Early preventive efforts should be directed at adolescents who experience loss due to death of a significant other, traumatic events, and psychosocial adversities to forestall the development of depressive symptoms.

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