Distinguishing among antecedents, concomitants, and consequences of problem-solving appraisal and depressive symptoms.

Abstract

In the present study, a prospective design was used and data were collected from 277 introductory psychology students to distinguish among the antecedents, concomitants, and consequences of problem-solving appraisal and depression. The results of structural equation path analyses provide preliminary evidence that self-appraised ineffective problem-solving ability is an antecedent that may play a causal role in predicting future depressive symptoms. However, the results also suggest that problem-solving appraisal is a concomitant of depressive symptoms such that the experience of depressive symptoms may cause temporary deficits in self-appraisal of problem-solving ability.There are presently at least 7 million women and 3.5 million men in the United States with diagnosable depression; similar numbers could be diagnosed as experiencing dysthymia (McGrath, Keita, Strickland, & Russo, 1990). Furthermore, the American Psychiatric Association (1980) estimated that depression may result in psychiatric hospitalization for as many as 6% of all women and 3% of all men. Thus, depression and depressive symptoms constitute a common and serious problem of enormous personal and social significance. The costs to society in decreased work productivity and the expense of treatments have been estimated to be as high as $11 billion per year (Craighead, Kennedy, Raczynski, & Dow, 1984).Depression and depressive symptoms are especially prominent among U.S. college students. It has been estimated that college students are twice as likely to suffer from clinical depression and dysthymia as are people of similar ages and backgrounds in the workforce (Bonner & Rich, 1988). Depression and dysthymia have special relevance to the college environment in that they interfere with the educational process and are often associated with lack of college success and attrition (Blumberg, 1984). The need to reduce depression and dysthymia in the college population is therefore a major concern.It has been suggested for some time that ineffective problem-solving results in stressful outcomes and psychological maladjustment, such as depression (e.g., D 'Zurilla & Goldfried, 1971;. Within the past decade, there has been increased attention to cognitive selfappraisal of one's ability to resolve problematic situations

Problem-solving ability and comorbid personality disorders in depressed outpatients

“…The finding that PSI scores of patients with avoidant, narcissistic, and borderline PDs were no longer significantly different from those of patients with no PD diagnosis after controlling for levels of baseline depression suggests that these patients' very poor problem-solving scores were related to the severity of their depressive symptoms. Taken alone, these results support the argument that poor perceived problem solving among patients with depression-with or without PDs-may represent a state-dependent phenomenon rather than a trait vulnerability [Dixon et al, 1993]. However, the PSI is a measure of problem-solving self-appraisal.…”

Daily functioning, problem solving and satisfaction for quality of life in visually impaired old persons

“…Problem solving appraisal was the unique significant predictor. Literature has already shown that problem solving may play a central role in adaptive responses evidenced in a large variety of stressful situations [48,24]. Additionally, research involving adults with vision loss has already suggested a possible role of problem solving in finding solutions and in adapting to difficulties they encounter in everyday life specifically due to vision loss [22,26,27,8].…”

“…PCS and MCS and mean score in the daily VFQ subscale (analyzing near vision, distance vision, social functioning, peripheral vision and color vision) were entered into the equation, respectively, as the first and second step; then, as a third step, the PSI total score was entered to highlight the incremental gain in the variance explained and the more crucial role of problem solving skills over health and functional consequences on well-being [22,24,25] and more particularly on satisfaction for QoL experienced. All variables were forced into the model.…”

“…It involves both problem orientation, and problem solving with the first usually referring to the general attitude of individuals towards problems and the second referring to coping with a problematic situation. In particular, problem solving appraisal has been demonstrated to influence a wide variety of psychological adjustment variables and to both physical and psychological wellbeing such as, for instance, depression, self-esteem, anxiety, dysfunctional thoughts, health expectancies and health complications [24,25]. With respect to visually impaired individuals, a proactive problem-solving perspective seems to help individuals finding creative solutions to difficulties they encounter following vision loss [26].…”

Examining the generalizability of problem-solving appraisal in Black South Africans.

“…Moreover, it might be useful to examine the validity of the factor structure of the PSI in a more collectivistic culture (e.g., Asian culture) and emic approaches in how people from different cultures solve problems in stressful situations. Likewise, it might be useful to test other models of problem solving, such as a reciprocal model that would also predict distress being associated with lower confidence and problem avoidance (see Dixon, Heppner, Burnett, Anderson, & Wood, 1993).…”