Depression and Attributions for Problems and Solutions in College Students

Endlich, Eric

doi:10.2466/pr0.1989.65.1.131

Cited by 4 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 42 publications

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“…Studies examining the concurrent relation between attributions for real events and depression have shown differences between depressed and nondepressed individuals on the globality and stability dimensions but not on the locus dimension (e.g., Barthe & Hammen, 1981;Cochran & Hammen, 1985, sample 2;Gong-Guy & Hammen, 1980;Hammen, Krantz, & Cochran, 1981). In a longitudinal study, Firth and Brewin (1982) examined attributions for recent negative life events, and found that depressed patients who attributed these events to global and stable factors were more depressed 6 weeks later (see also Endlich, 1989). Similar results were found with students' attributions for exam performance (e.g, Kayne, Alloy, Romer, & Crocker, 1986).…”

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confidence: 86%

Attributions for real and hypothetical events: Do they predict depression?

Butters

McClure

Siegert

et al. 1997

Australian Journal of Psychology

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Attributional models of depression propose that a negative attributional style is a vulnerability feature in depression, but opinions differ as to whether to assess attributional style for hypothetical or actual events. The present longitudinal study examined whether attributions for hypothetical and real events predicted concurrent and delayed dysphoria. At Time 1, students made attributions for hypothetical events (Attributional Style Questionnaire) and real events (Attribution Questionnaire), and completed measureS of dysphoria (Beck Depression Inventory). One month later they repeated the Attribution Questionnaire and the Beck Depression Inventory. Attributions for real events formed the strongest single predictor of current dysphoria, whereas attributions for hypothetical events comprised the strongest single predictor of later dysphoria. The combination of attributions for hypothetical events at Time 1 and attributions for real events at Time 2 provided the strongest overall predictor of depression at Time 2. These findings have several implications for the attributional models of depression.ne of the most significant mental health issues in recent 0 times has been the seriously high rates of mood disorders, and depression in particular (Segal & Dobson, 1992). Concern over the significant personal and social costs of depression has resulted in a surge of research and theory in recent years (Haaga, Dyck. & Emst, 1991;Segal & Dobson, 1992). A promising line of research has focused on the role of attributions in the etiology of depression, with several models proposing that certain patterns of causal attributions for significant events increase the likelihood of depression occurring. In their influential helplessness model, Abramson, Seligmm, and Teasdale (1978) argued that the onset of depression reflects an attributional style which involves making stable, internal. and global attributions for negative events. By way of contrast. attributing negative outcomes to unstable, external, and specific factors is considered to protect people from becoming depressed.Some authors have claimed that the effect of attributions on depression is mediated by hopelessness, that is, the expectation that negative events cannot be prevented (

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mentioning

confidence: 86%

Attributions for real and hypothetical events: Do they predict depression?

Butters

McClure

Siegert

et al. 1997

Australian Journal of Psychology

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“…Personal control refers to the perceived power an individual has in an event, and external control refers to how much influence a source outside the individual is perceived to have in an event. Endlich (1989) used Weiners (1985 theory as a framework for studying the attributions that depressed clients make for the causes of and solutions to their problems. Fifty clients from a college counseling center completed the Beck Depression Inventory (Beck & Steer, 1987) and the Causal Dimension Scale (Russell, 1982), which was used to measure attributions of internality, stability, and controllability for both problem cause and solution.…”

Section: Weiners Theory Of Attributionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Unlike other attribution theories, Brickman et als theory accounts for beliefs about not only the cause of a problem but also its solution. Because problem solving is such a central component to counseling, Brickman et als theory has been judged to be important to both the process and the outcome of counseling (Atkinson, Worthington, Dana, & Good, 1991;Endlich, 1989;Karuza, Zevon, Rabinowitz, & Brickman, 1982;McCracken, Hayes, & Dell, 1997;Tracey, 1988;Worthington & Atkinson, 1993, 1996. Brickman et als (1982) theory describes a four-cell taxonomy (i.e., four models) of high and low responsibility attributions for the causes of and solutions to problems.…”

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confidence: 99%

Depressed Clients' Attributions of Responsibility for the Causes of and Solutions to Their Problems

Wall

Hayes

2000

Jour of Counseling & Develop

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This study examined the attributions made by depressed clients about responsibility for the causes of and solutions to their problems. A total of 160 university counseling center clients completed the Beck Depression Inventory (A. T. Beck & R. A. Steer, 1987) and instruments measuring attributions of responsibility, internality, stability, and controllability for their problems. Support was obtained for the hypothesis that depressed clients blame themselves more for causing their problems than do nondepressed clients. However, client attributions of responsibility for solving problems were not affected by level of depressive symptoms. Finally, P. Brickman et al.'s (1982) theory of responsibility attributions was found to be modestly related with B. Weiner's (1985) attribution theory.

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Clinical trials of antidepressants: the hidden face: where locus of control appears to play a key role in depression outcome

et al. 1995

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It remains difficult to determine in what measure improvements observed in clinical trials of anti-depressants may be attributable to the psychological predispositions of the subjects. The present article focuses on the effect of a psychological variable, the Health Locus of Control, which measures the extent of a subject's belief that he is in control over his own health. The hypothesis is that depressed subjects whose locus of control is internal, i.e. who perceive themselves to be in control, rather than external, i.e. control perceived as being in others or just chance, will improve more markedly and consistently on the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale, across a number of clinical trials. Forty-nine depressive patients undergoing treatment with four different compounds were included, after a week's placebo run-in period, in a classical 42-day follow-up study comprising visits on days -7, 0, 10, 21; and 42. Interactions between the type of locus of control and the clinical course were investigated by MANOVA. Results show that with a classical design of clinical trials of antidepressants, locus of control plays a significant role if it is internal (P< 0.001) in consolidating the improvement process, and that this is true irrespective of type of antidepressant. The relationship between the concept of locus of control and placebo effect is discussed.

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Depression and Attributions for Problems and Solutions in College Students

Cited by 4 publications

References 42 publications

Attributions for real and hypothetical events: Do they predict depression?

Attributions for real and hypothetical events: Do they predict depression?

Depressed Clients' Attributions of Responsibility for the Causes of and Solutions to Their Problems

Clinical trials of antidepressants: the hidden face: where locus of control appears to play a key role in depression outcome

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