Problem-solving orientation and attributional style: moderators of the impact of negative life events on the development of depressive symptoms in adolescence?

Full Abstract

Followed up 733 adolescents, ages 12 to 14 years, from a community sample over a 1-year period. Depressive symptoms at 1-year follow-up, controlling for baseline depression levels, were predicted by negative life events (NLEs) in the previous 12 months, attributional style (AS), negative problem solving orientation (NPSO), and the interaction between NLEs and NPSO. In the presence, but not absence, of high NLEs, NPSO predicted increases in depressive symptoms. In contrast, pessimistic AS predicted future increases in depression irrespective of the occurrence of NLEs. The findings supported a congnitive diathesis-stress model of the development of depression for NPSO but not AS.

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Author information

Author/s: Spence, Susan H (SH); Sheffield, Jeanie (J); Donovan, Caroline (C);

Affiliation: School of Psychology, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia 4072. s.spence@psy.uq.edu.au

Journal and publication information

Publication Type: Journal Article

Journal: Journal of clinical child and adolescent psychology : the official journal for the Society of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology, American Psychological Association, Division 53 (J Clin Child Adolesc Psychol), published in United States. (Language: eng)

Reference: 2002-Jun; vol 31 (issue 2) : pp 219-29

Dates: Created 2002/06/11; Completed 2002/11/19; Revised 2004/11/17;

PMID: 12056105, status: MEDLINE (last retrieval date: 11/6/2008)

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MeSH headings (categories)

This article was linked to the MESH Headings shown below.

Adolescent
Affect
Attitude
Child
Cross-Sectional Studies
Depression - diagnosis; psychology
Female

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