ERIC Number: EJ799314
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2008-Apr
Pages: 10
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1537-4416
EISSN: N/A
Life Stress and the Accuracy of Cognitive Appraisals in Depressed Youth
Krackow, Elisa; Rudolph, Karen D.
Journal of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology, v37 n2 p376-385 Apr 2008
This study investigated the accuracy of depressed youths' appraisals of naturally occurring life events. Participants (49% girls; M age = 12.44 years) with clinical diagnoses of depression (n = 24), subsyndromal symptoms of depression (n = 29), and no symptoms of psychopathology (n = 36) completed semi-structured interviews of life stress. As predicted, depressed youth experienced more independent and self-generated interpersonal stress than did nonsymptomatic youth. Consistent with a cognitive bias, clinically depressed youth overestimated the stressfulness of events and overestimated their contribution to events relative to nonsymptomatic youth. Youth with subsyndromal symptoms demonstrated similar, although typically less severe, impairment than those with clinical depression. Results contribute to cognitive-interpersonal models of depression by illustrating the need to consider both realistic interpersonal difficulties and biased appraisals of experiences. (Contains 2 tables.)
Descriptors: Psychopathology, Depression (Psychology), Stress Variables, Symptoms (Individual Disorders), Interviews, Youth, Interpersonal Relationship, Correlation, Severity (of Disability), Attitude Measures, Adolescents, Clinical Diagnosis
Lawrence Erlbaum. Available from: Taylor & Francis, Ltd. 325 Chestnut Street Suite 800, Philadelphia, PA 19106. Tel: 800-354-1420; Fax: 215-625-2940; Web site: http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals/default.html
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A