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Dysfunctional attitudes and poor problem solving skills predict hopelessness in major depression
1Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston 02114, USA.
Journal of Affective Disorders
|October 8, 1999
Summary
Clinicians can predict hopelessness in depressed patients by assessing dysfunctional cognitions and problem-solving skills. These factors are key targets for reducing suicide risk in outpatient treatment.
Area of Science:
- Psychiatry
- Clinical Psychology
- Mental Health Research
Background:
- Hopelessness is a significant predictor of suicidality in patients with depression.
- Identifying predictors of hopelessness aids in identifying at-risk individuals for targeted interventions.
- Not all depressed patients experience hopelessness, necessitating research into its specific correlates.
Purpose of the Study:
- To examine demographic, diagnostic, and symptom-based predictors of hopelessness.
- To identify factors that can help clinicians predict hopelessness in depressed outpatients.
- To inform targeted assessment and treatment strategies for reducing suicidal risk.
Main Methods:
- A sample of 138 medication-free outpatients with major depression participated.
- Demographic, diagnostic, and symptom data were collected.
- Simple and multiple regression analyses were used to evaluate predictor significance.
Main Results:
- Demographic and diagnostic variables did not significantly predict hopelessness.
- Hopelessness correlated with depression severity, poor problem-solving, and dysfunctional cognitions.
- Dysfunctional cognitions and poor problem-solving independently predicted 20% of the variance in hopelessness.
Conclusions:
- Dysfunctional attitudes and problem-solving skills are key clinical correlates of hopelessness.
- These findings suggest potential targets for assessment and treatment to reduce suicidal risk.
- Correlational analyses limit causal conclusions; findings are based on outpatients in treatment.