Social problem-solving and vulnerability to depression in a clinical sample

The relationship between problem-solving and depression was examined in a sample of 48 new clients (38 women and 10 men) presenting at three Community Health Centers over a 3-wk. period. The clients were predominantly Anglosaxon and ranged in age from 19 to 59 years. At the time of admission each client completed a questionnaire including the Beck Depression Inventory-Version II, the Inventory to Diagnose Depression, and the Social Problem-solving Inventory-Revised. The first two inventories were used to identify a currently depressed group, a previously depressed group, and a never depressed group. Consistent with past research, currently depressed clients had lower scores on all dimensions of social problem-solving than did nondepressed clients. In contrast, clients who reported a past episode of depression but who were not currently depressed did not differ from those nondepressed clients who had no history of depression. The data suggest that the deficit in social problem-solving evident in depression may be a concomitant of the person's current mood rather than an underlying vulnerability factor. However, further investigation into changes in problem-solving over time and the correspondence of self-reports of problem-solving to more objective measures of skill is warranted.