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Although substantial literatures attest to the psychosocial impact of individuals' physical attractiveness and the centrality of physical self-concept, or body image, to global self-concept, little research has examined the relationship of these two variables to depression. Accordingly, in the present study, 224 college men and women completed alfective and cognitive measures of body image, the Center for Epidemiologlcal Studies-Depression scale (CES-D), and a single, self-labeling of depression item. Each subject was videotaped, and objective raters reliably evaluated a static, full-body pose of each subject on physical attractiveness. The subjects were classified as depressed (n = 35) or nondepressed (n = 42) on the basis of the conjunctive criteria of self-labeling and extreme groups on the CES-D. As hypothesized, the multivariate and univariate analyses of variance indicated that depressed subjects were less satisfied with their bodies and saw themselves as less physically attractive than was reported by nondepressed subjects. These groups did not differ, however, with respect to observer-rated physical attractiveness. Support was obtained for Beck's (1973, 1976) cognitive hypothesis that depressed persons negatively distort their body images. However, the results also indicated substantial positive distortion among nondepressed subjects. Researchers and theorists have speculated about the relationship between body image and depression based primarily on clinical observation (e.g., Cash, in press). Bedrosian (1981) and Emery (1981) both suggested that depressed individuals have distorted self-images based on their concerns about their physical attributes. Peto (1972) contended that body image is an important aspect of both psychotic and nonpsychotic depression. These theorists did not follow up their positions with systematic research. In Beck's (1973, 1976) cognitive theory of depression, "distortion of body image" (Beck, 1973, p. 24) is included among the cognitive symptoms of depression. Beck (1973) classified 975 individuals as nondepressed or as mildly, moderately, or severely depressed This research is based on a doctoral dissertation in psychology conducted by the first author under the supervision of the second and third authors. Appreciation is expressed to Tim Brown for his assistance in data collection.

Based on a model of interactive coping activation, we review the impact of gender in the giving and receiving of emotion‐ and problem‐focused social support. The research suggests that the female role (emphasizing nurturance and emotional expressiveness) makes it easier for women to activate social support from close relations as well as to provide social support; whereas the male role (emphasizing achievement, autonomy, emotional control) makes it difficult for men to seek and obtain social support. Type of support required (social‐emotional vs. instrumental) may moderate when men and women are more effective in providing social support. The gender‐linked model of social support activation may be useful in diagnosing interpersonal problems in providing and obtaining social support.

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The present study examined how perceived HIV-related stigma (how much HIV-infected persons believe that the public stigmatizes someone with HIV) influences both reasons for and against HIV disclosure and self-reports of HIV disclosure to a friend, intimate partner and a parent. The research participants were 145 men and women living with HIV. They were asked to recall when they first learned about their HIV diagnosis. Then they indicated how much specific reasons might have influenced disclosing or not disclosing about the HIV diagnosis to a friend, intimate partner and a parent. Findings, based on the total sample, indicated that perceived HIV-related stigma was associated with the endorsement of various reasons against disclosing to a friend and a parent, including concerns about self-blame, fear of rejection, communication difficulties and a desire to protect the other person. Perceived HIV-related stigma was not associated with the endorsement of any reasons for disclosing to a friend, intimate partner or a parent, including catharsis, test other's reactions, duty to inform/educate, similarity and a close/supportive relationship with the other. In addition, perceived HIV-related stigma predicted self-reports of disclosure to a parent but not to a friend or intimate partner. Specific reasons for and against self-disclosure predicted HIV disclosure based on the type of relationship with the potential disclosure recipient. The data analyses were also stratified by gender; these results were, with some exceptions, consistent with the findings with the total sample. The research introduces scales that quantify individuals' reasons for HIV disclosure and/or nondisclosure.