Cognitive Vulnerabilities and Depression Versus Other Psychopathology Symptoms and Diagnoses in Early Adolescence

Abstract

Objective We examined the concurrent associations between multiple cognitive vulnerabilities to depression featured in Hopelessness Theory, Beck’s Theory, and Response Styles Theory and depressive symptoms and diagnoses in a sample of early adolescents. We also examined the specificity of these cognitive vulnerabilities to depression versus anxiety and externalizing psychopathology, controlling for co-occurring symptoms and diagnoses. Method Male and female, Caucasian and African-American, 12–13 year old adolescents were assessed in a cross-sectional design. Cognitive vulnerabilities of hopelessness, inferential style, rumination, and self-referent information processing were assessed with self-reports and behavioral tasks. Symptoms and diagnoses of depressive, anxiety, and externalizing disorders were assessed with self-report questionnaires and diagnostic interviews. Results Hopelessness exhibited the greatest specificity to depressive symptoms and diagnoses, whereas negative inferential styles, rumination, and negative self-referent information processing were associated with both depressive and anxiety symptoms and diagnoses and, in some cases, with externalizing disorders. Conclusions Consistent with cognitive theories of depression, hopelessness, negative inferential styles, rumination, and negative self-referent information processing were associated with depressive symptoms and diagnoses. However, with the exception of hopelessness, most of the remaining cognitive vulnerabilities were not specific to depression. With further maturation of our sample, these cognitive vulnerabilities may become more specific to depression as cognitive styles further develop and consolidate, the rates of depression increase, and individuals’ presentations of psychopathology become more differentiated.

Stability of self-referent encoding task performance and associations with change in depressive symptoms from early to middle childhood

“…The relationship between positive processing and depression was consistent with previous studies (2012; Gençöz et al, 2001; Hammen & Zupan, 1984; Hayden, Olino, Mackrell, et al, 2013; Prieto et al, 1992; Timbremont & Braet, 2004; Zupan, Hammen, & Jaenicke, 1987). However, the literature on negative processing and depression in youth is less consistent, with some studies (Prieto et al, 1992; Timbremont & Braet, 2004; Zupan, Hammen, & Jaenicke, 1987), but not others (e.g., Alloy et al, 2012; Black & Pössel, 2013; Gençöz et al, 2001; Hammen & Zupan, 1984) reporting a significant association. In some cases, non-significant findings may be due to sample sizes too small to detect small-to-medium effects and to methodological differences, such as the lack of a sad mood induction prior to the SRET, which is important for detecting associations between SRET performance and depressive vulnerabilities (Evraire et al, in press).…”

“…Derry & Kuiper, 1981) or by the total number of endorsed words (e.g. Prieto, Cole, & Tageson, 1992), but a number of other approaches have also been used (e.g., Alloy et al, 2012; Gençöz, Voelz, Gençöz, Pettit, & Joiner, 2001). In the present review, we consider studies of youth that included some measure of adjective recall, regardless of how the recall measure was calculated.…”

Deficits in Emotional Clarity and Vulnerability to Peer Victimization and Internalizing Symptoms Among Early Adolescents

“…To be eligible for participation in the study, adolescents had to be 12 or 13 years old, self-identify as Black/African-American or White/Caucasian, and have a mother or primary female caregiver who was also willing to participate in the study 1 . Exclusionary criteria included: 1) the absence of a mother or female caregiver, 2) the adolescent or mother was mentally retarded, psychotic, or had a severe developmental disorder or severe learning disability, and 3) the inability to complete measures in the study by adolescents or mothers due to being unable to speak or read English (for more details regarding recruitment, see Alloy et al, 2012). …”

Why are anxiety and depressive symptoms comorbid in youth? A multi-wave, longitudinal examination of competing etiological models

“…The measure may be divided into 4 subscales: physical symptoms, social anxiety, separation anxiety/panic, and harm avoidance; however, in the present study only the total score was utilized (range = 0 – 117). Past research has found the MASC to be a reliable and valid tool for measuring symptoms of youth anxiety (Alloy et al, 2012; Brozina & Abela, 2006). Cronbach’s alphas ranging between 0.88 and 0.90 across administrations were found in the present study.…”