Cognitive and behavioral correlates of depression in clinical and nonclinical populations

The relationships among depression, depressogenic cognitions, and mood-related activities were examined in clinic and nonclinic populations. Fifty-seven participants in a treatment program for depression and 143 undergraduate subjects were administered a questionnaire battery that included the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), Automatic Thoughts Questionnaire (ATQ), Dysfunctional Attitude Scale (DAS), and the mood-related items of both the Pleasant Events Schedule (PES) and Unpleasant Events Schedule (UES). Depressogenic cognitions and mood-related activities were correlated with one another and with depression in both populations: As depression increased, depressogenic cognitions and unpleasant activities increased while pleasant activities decreased. In addition, partial correlational analyses demonstrated that both depressogenic cognitions and mood-related activities, independent of one another, were correlated significantly with depression. This demonstrates that cognitive and behavioral variables, while related to one another, contribute independent information concerning depression.