Depressive Attributional Style: The Role of Self‐Esteem

Abstract

Two studies evaluate the role of self-esteem in the depressive attributional style. In the first study, college students completed four measures of depression, four measures of self-esteem, and the Attributional Style Questionnaire (ASQ). Regression analyses revealed that across measures, self-esteem was a better predictor of attributional style for negative events than was depression. In study two, psychiatric inpatients completed a measure of self-esteem, a measure of depression, and the ASQ. In this clinical sample, self-esteem and depression were highly correlated and both predicted ASQ scores. But when variation in depth of depression and social desirability were removed statistically from the association between self-esteem and attributions for negative outcomes, there remained a significant association between self-esteem and internal, stable, and global attributions for negative outcomes. Controlling for the variation in self-esteem eliminated the relation between depression and depressive attributional style. These findings demonstrate the importance of self-esteem in depressive attributional style in both normal and clinical populations, as well as potential differences in the relations among self-esteem, depression, and attributional style in clinical versus normal samples.

Shared, Not Unique, Components of Personality and Psychosocial Functioning Predict Depression Severity After Acute-phase Cognitive Therapy

“…The ASQ-F's and -S's α internal consistencies have been adequate in past research (.72 and .75, respectively), as have their 5-week retest reliabilities (.64 and .70, respectively;Peterson et al, 1982). Validity of the ASQ-F and -S has been supported by moderate correlations with self-report measures of depressive symptoms and self-concept (Tennen, Herzberger, & Nelson, 1987). Using the full sample, a internal consistency in the current study for the early and late assessments was good for both the ASQ-F (.85 and .87, respectively) and ASQ-S (.81 at both times).…”

Öğreni̇lmi̇ş Çaresi̇zli̇k Ve Depresyon: Yükleme Bi̇çi̇mi̇ Ölçeği̇ Ve Beck Depresyon Ölçeği̇yle Yapilan Bi̇r Çalişma

“…Bu bulgu, ASQ'nun depresyonu yordama açısından sağlıklı bir ölçek olduğu izleni mini vermektedir. Gerçi, nevrotik depresif denek sayısı azdır ama dep resyonla çaresizlik arasında anlamlı ilişkilerin gözlendiği başka araştır malarda (ör., Tennen, Herzberger, Nelson, 1987) elde edilen değerlerin de çok yüksek olduğu söylenemez. Bu yüzden, şu anda, ölçeğin depres yona duyarsız olduğunu söylemek yanıltıcı olabilir.…”

“…ASQ ile yapılan araştırmalar, ölçeğin güvenirlik ile geçerli ğinin yüksek olduğuna, iyi ve kötü olaylar hakkında yapılan yüklemeler ile depresyon arasında yüksek bir ilişkinin bulunduğuna işaret etmektedir. (Peterson, Seligman, 1987;Sweeney, Anderson, Bailey, 1986;Tennen, Herzberger, Nelson, 1987).…”

Predictors of depression in African American men and their implications for community and individual focused interventions.

“…Self esteem has been found to be a central component of depressive symptoms and has been found to be negatively correlated. Moreover low self esteem plays a decisive role in the onset of depression (Beck, 1967;Inkson, 1978;Brockner & Guare, 1983;Tennen, Herzberger, & Fisher-Nelson, 1987). In a study by Maestas, Amidon, Baum et al (2008) using a sample of 24 women with high depression and 28 women with low depression, they found significant differences the level of depression and self-esteem.…”

“…In other words, as self esteem decreased, severity of depression increased. Many studies have documented the strong negative correlation between self-esteem and depression (Brockner & Guare, 1983;Tennen, Herzberger, & Fisher-Nelson, 1987).…”