Depression : cognitive, social, environmental and emotional factors

Depression, Mental;

Holttum, Susan ; Burton, Derek ; Burton, Derek

University:University of St Andrews

Department:Psychology & Neuroscience (School of)

关键词: Depression, Mental;   

Others  :  https://research-repository.st-andrews.ac.uk/bitstream/handle/10023/2654/SusanHolttumPhDThesis.pdf?sequence=3&isAllowed=y

来源: DR-NTU

【 摘 要 】

This work examined four issues, in relation to both theexperience of depression, and vulnerability to depression.There were four empirical studies, each with two parts. Thefirst study examined the role of cognitions, such asovergeneralizations (Beck, 1963; Beck et al, 1979), andcausal attributions (Abramson et al, 1978; Alloy et al, 1988). Their role as symptoms of depression, and as possiblevulnerability factors, independent of current mood, wasexamined. In the first part of the study, clinicallydepressed patients, recovered subjects, and community controlsubjects were interviewed and given questionnaires. In thesecond part of the study a larger sample of students, someof whom became mildly depressed on beginning universityfilled in questionnaires at the start of term and again fiveweeks later. The same subject groups were the basis for thestudy on social factors, and the study on life events. Thefourth study was also in two parts. A different sample ofstudents were the subjects for the first part, and the sameclinical and control groups participated in the second part.Factors found to be associated with the state of depressionwere: Internal, stable and global attributions for thecauses of bad events, negative view of future outcomes, andnegative view of self; social skill deficits and lack ofsocial support; recent difficult life events. One factorfailed to show any strong association with the depressed state – unrealistic goals. Factors associated with vulnerability to depression: Negative evaluations of future outcomes, and of self, unrealistic goalsand, surprisingly, lower-than-normal goals; deficits in social skill(especially low self-confidence in social settings) and lackof social support; history-of difficult life events. Factorswhich failed to show association with vulnerability todepression: Causal-attributions for events; adverse reactionto depression itself. Deficits in social skill wereassociated with lack of social support. Depression proneness itself appeared to be a risk factor for negative life events.