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Prospective evaluation of a cognitive vulnerability‐stress model for depression: the interaction of schema self‐structures and negative life events
Author(s) -
Seeds Pamela M.,
Dozois David J.A.
Publication year - 2010
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/jclp.20723
Subject(s) - psychology , schema (genetic algorithms) , cognitive vulnerability , cognition , vulnerability (computing) , clinical psychology , depression (economics) , developmental psychology , depressive symptoms , psychiatry , machine learning , computer science , computer security , economics , macroeconomics
This study tested the diathesis‐stress component of Beck's (1967) cognitive theory of depression. Initially, participants completed measures assessing cognitive organization of the self‐schema and depressive symptoms. One year later, participants completed measures assessing cognitive organization of the self‐schema, depressive symptoms, and negative life events. Hierarchical multiple regression analyses, controlling for initial depression, indicated that more tightly interconnected negative content was associated with greater elevations in depressive symptoms following the occurrence of life events. More diffusely interconnected positive content for interpersonal self‐referent information also interacted with life events to predict depressive symptoms. Cognitive organization dimensions showed moderate to high stability across the follow‐up, suggesting that they may be trait‐like vulnerability factors. Implications for the cognitive vulnerability‐stress model of depression are discussed. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Clin Psychol 66:1–17, 2010.