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A longitudinal study of the relationship of self‐preoccupation with depression
Author(s) -
Sakamoto Shinji
Publication year - 1999
Publication title -
journal of clinical psychology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.124
H-Index - 119
eISSN - 1097-4679
pISSN - 0021-9762
DOI - 10.1002/(sici)1097-4679(199901)55:1<109::aid-jclp11>3.0.co;2-8
Subject(s) - psychology , depression (economics) , clinical psychology , longitudinal study , developmental psychology , medicine , pathology , economics , macroeconomics
Self‐preoccupation, the tendency to focus more on the self and to maintain self‐focused attention, is believed to be a vulnerability factor to depression. The present study investigated this hypothisis in a longitudinal design, using Japanese undergraduates. At Time 1, both self‐preoccupation and depressive symptoms at that time, measured by the Zung Self‐rating Depression Scale (SDS), were assessed. At Time 2, 3 months later, life events experienced from Time 1 to Time 2 and depressive symptoms at that time were assessed. Data from 169 undergraduates who scored less than 50 on the SDS in Time 1 were analyzed and the above hypothesis was suggested. When experiencing a greater number of negative events, those high in self‐preoccupation became more depressed than those who were low in that tendency, though when there were a smaller number of negative events, this difference disappeared. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Clin Psychol 55: 109–116, 1999.