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The current study compares the effects of experimentally induced rumination, positive reappraisal, distancing, and acceptance on affect states in adolescents aged 13–18. Participants (N = 160) were instructed to think about a recent stressful event. Next, they received specific instructions on how to think about that event in each condition. Manipulation checks revealed that the manipulations were successful, except for acceptance. The two most reported events were “a fight” and “death of loved one”. Results showed that positive reappraisal (i.e., thinking about the benefits and personal growth) caused a significantly larger increase in positive affect and decrease in negative affect compared to rumination, distancing, and acceptance. Current findings implicate that positive reappraisal seems an adequate coping strategy in the short-term, and therefore could be applied in interventions for youth experiencing difficulties managing negative affect. Future research should focus on long-term effects of these cognitive strategies and on more intensive training of acceptance.

The present study sought to test predictions of the response styles theory in a sample of children and adolescents. More specifically, a ratio approach to response styles was utilized to examine the effects on residual change scores in depression and anxiety. Participants completed a battery of questionnaires including measures of rumination, distraction, depression, and anxiety at baseline (Time 1) and 8-10 weeks follow-up (Time 2). Results showed that the ratio score of rumination and distraction was significantly associated with depressed and anxious symptoms over time. More specifically, individuals who have a greater tendency to ruminate compared to distracting themselves have increases in depression and anxiety scores over time, whereas those who have a greater tendency to engage in distraction compared to rumination have decreases in depression and anxiety symptoms over time. These findings indicate that a ratio approach can be used to examine the relation between response styles and symptoms of depression and anxiety in non-clinical children and adolescents. Implications of the results may be that engaging in distractive activities should be promoted and that ruminative thinking should be targeted in juvenile depression treatment.

This study aimed to (1) assess relationships between the Children's Depression Inventory (CDI) and DSM-oriented depression and anxiety scales of the Youth Self Report (YSR); (2) develop reliable norms for the CDI; and (3) determine CDI cutoff scores for selecting youngsters at risk for depression and anxiety. A total of 3073 non-clinical and 511 clinically referred children and adolescents from The Netherlands and Belgium were included. Results showed that CDI scores were significantly related to both DSM-oriented symptoms of depression and anxiety. CDI scores correlated highly with depression symptoms and moderately with anxiety symptoms. Norms for the CDI were determined by means of multiple regression analysis and depended on sex, age, and country. CDI cutoff scores for selecting individuals at risk for depression and anxiety as measured by the DSM-oriented depression and anxiety scales of the YSR were determined by means of multiple regression analysis and ROC analysis. A CDI score of 16 was found to have the most optimal balance between sensitivity and specificity for depression, whereas a score of 21 provided the best sensitivity and specificity for anxiety in a subsample of children. It can be concluded that the CDI is an effective instrument for screening depression, and to a lesser extent anxiety, in school settings or primary and secondary care centres, before applying further assessment of high risk individuals. Keywords: CDI; Children's Depression Inventory; Cutoff; NormingThe CDI in clinical and non-clinical youth 3 Depressive symptoms are commonly experienced among youth. The epidemiological data suggest that depression in youth is a serious health care problem, which underscores the importance of using reliable and well-validated screening instruments (e.g., Birmaher et al., 1996; Birmaher, Arbelaez, & Brent 2002; Lewinsohn, Rohde, & Seeley, 1998). The measurement of depressive symptoms in youth was advanced by the development of the Children's Depression Inventory (CDI: Kovacs, 1980Kovacs, /1981. The CDI was developed as a downward extension of the adult-oriented Beck Depression Inventory (BDI: Beck, Ward, Mendelson, Mock & Erbaugh, 1961). The CDI is a 27-item self-report inventory assessing depressed mood in children and adolescents. Respondents are asked to choose one of three descriptions that best fits how they have been feeling over the past two weeks (e.g., "I do most things wrong", "I do many things wrong", "I do everything wrong"). Responses are scored on a scale from 0 to 2, with total CDI scores ranging between 0 and 54. Although the CDI is designed to provide information about the presence and severity of depressive symptoms, it cannot by itself yield a psychiatric diagnosis. Self-report measures in the early assessment process have however also the advantage over clinical interviews that they facilitate disclosing personal material. The current study aimed to (1) assess the specificity of the relation between CDI scores and symptoms of depression and anxiety; (2) develop no...

The current study sought to examine three forms of negative, repetitive thinking in non-clinical children and adolescents aged between 10 and 18. More specifically, this study addressed the degree to which stress-reactive rumination can be differentiated from other forms of repetitive thinking, such as emotion-focused rumination and worry, and the associations between the various indices of repetitive thinking and symptoms of anxiety and depression. Participants completed a battery of self-report questionnaires including measures of stressreactive rumination, emotion-focused rumination, worry, and symptoms of anxiety and depression. Results showed that stress-reactive rumination, emotion-focused rumination and worry are related but distinct forms of repetitive negative thinking. Positive associations were found between all indices of repetitive thinking and symptoms of depression and anxiety, but the effects of emotion-focused rumination disappeared when controlling for the other forms of repetitive thinking. The findings are discussed in the light of current theories and previous research, and directions for future research are provided.