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Distinguishing between state‐dependent and non‐state‐dependent depression‐related psychosocial variables
Author(s) -
Rosenbaum Michael,
Lewinsohn Peter M.,
Gotlib Ian H.
Publication year - 1996
Publication title -
british journal of clinical psychology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.479
H-Index - 92
eISSN - 2044-8260
pISSN - 0144-6657
DOI - 10.1111/j.2044-8260.1996.tb01189.x
Subject(s) - psychosocial , psychology , trait , attribution , depression (economics) , clinical psychology , developmental psychology , psychiatry , social psychology , computer science , economics , macroeconomics , programming language
The goals of this study were: ( a ) to determine which among a set of depression‐related psychosocial variables are state‐dependent; ( b ) to examine whether state trait distinctions among psychosocial variables are a function of gender; and ( c ) to test the hypothesis that state‐dependence of psychosocial variables is mostly evident in people with a history of clinical depression. Altogether, 562 participants residing in two communities completed a battery of psychosocial measures at point of entry into the study (T1) and after an average interval of 8.3 months (T2). The state‐dependence of psychosocial variables was examined in two groups of participants: ( a ) low‐high (LH: those who were low on the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale at T1 and high at T2; N = 45); and ( b ) high‐low (HL: those who were high at T1 and low at T2; N = 64). The following variables were found to be state‐dependent: engagement in pleasant and unpleasant events; frequency of social contacts; dissatisfaction with oneself, one's neighborhood dwelling and one's friends; irrational beliefs, and positive and negative expectancies. In contrast, the following variables were not state‐dependent: dissatisfaction with family and job, perception of control, and external attributions for positive and negative events. State‐dependence was not moderated by age, gender or a history of depression. Possible explanations for why some variables are state‐dependent and others are not state‐dependent are offered.