How dysfunctional are dysfunctional attitudes?
- In order to clarify further the role of Beck’s vulnerability-stress model in the early development of depression, this longitudinal study tested a threshold model of dysfunctional attitudes in children and adolescents. An initially asymptomatic sample of 889 youths aged 9–18 years completed measures of dysfunctional attitudes and depressive symptoms. Twenty months later, participants reported stressful life events and current depressive symptoms. Results support a threshold view of cognitive vulnerability as only dysfunctional attitudes above a certain threshold significantly interacted with life events to predict depressive symptoms. Thus, findings suggest that dysfunctional attitudes must exceed a certain threshold to confer vulnerability to depressive symptomatology in youth. The term “dysfunctional” might therefore only apply to higher levels of the “dysfunctional attitudes” proposed by A. T. Beck. Results also indicate that studies using non-clinical samples may systematically underestimate the effect of dysfunctional attitudesIn order to clarify further the role of Beck’s vulnerability-stress model in the early development of depression, this longitudinal study tested a threshold model of dysfunctional attitudes in children and adolescents. An initially asymptomatic sample of 889 youths aged 9–18 years completed measures of dysfunctional attitudes and depressive symptoms. Twenty months later, participants reported stressful life events and current depressive symptoms. Results support a threshold view of cognitive vulnerability as only dysfunctional attitudes above a certain threshold significantly interacted with life events to predict depressive symptoms. Thus, findings suggest that dysfunctional attitudes must exceed a certain threshold to confer vulnerability to depressive symptomatology in youth. The term “dysfunctional” might therefore only apply to higher levels of the “dysfunctional attitudes” proposed by A. T. Beck. Results also indicate that studies using non-clinical samples may systematically underestimate the effect of dysfunctional attitudes when relying on conventional linear methods.…
| Author details: | Susanne MeiserORCiDGND, Günter EsserORCiDGND |
|---|---|
| DOI: | https://doi.org/10.1007/s10608-017-9842-0 |
| ISSN: | 0147-5916 |
| ISSN: | 1573-2819 |
| Title of parent work (English): | Cognitive Therapy and Research |
| Subtitle (English): | a threshold model of dysfunctional attitudes and depressive symptoms in children and adolescents |
| Publisher: | Springer |
| Place of publishing: | New York |
| Publication type: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Date of first publication: | 2017/03/17 |
| Publication year: | 2017 |
| Release date: | 2021/10/13 |
| Tag: | Adolescents; Children; Cognitive vulnerability; Depression; Dysfunctional attitudes; Threshold models |
| Volume: | 41 |
| Number of pages: | 15 |
| First page: | 730 |
| Last Page: | 744 |
| Funding institution: | German Research Foundation ("Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft") [GRK 1668/1] |
| Organizational units: | Humanwissenschaftliche Fakultät / Strukturbereich Kognitionswissenschaften / Department Psychologie |
| DDC classification: | 1 Philosophie und Psychologie / 15 Psychologie / 150 Psychologie |
| Peer review: | Referiert |
