Related Experiment Videos
Attributional style and depressive mood reactions.
1Abteilung für Psychologie, Universität Bielefeld, Federal Republic of Germany.
Journal of Personality
|September 1, 1989
Summary
Individuals attributing negative events to internal, stable, and global causes are more prone to depression. This diathesis-stress model interaction predicted mood changes in response to negative life events.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Clinical Psychology
- Social Psychology
Background:
- The reformulated learned helplessness model posits that specific attributional styles predict depression.
- Depression can be triggered by negative life events in individuals with a diathesis for learned helplessness.
Purpose of the Study:
- To test the reformulated learned helplessness model in interpersonal contexts.
- To examine the interaction between attributional style and negative outcomes on depressive mood.
Main Methods:
- Two studies were conducted: a field study (N=86) and a laboratory study (N=46) with female college students.
- Attributional style and mood were assessed before and after a relevant event (Christmas break or success/failure manipulation).
Main Results:
- An Attribution X Outcome interaction significantly predicted changes in depressive mood in both studies.
- The interaction pattern aligned with the diathesis-stress model.
- Outcome was a significant predictor of mood change in the field study, but not the laboratory study.
Conclusions:
- The findings support the diathesis-stress model of depression, particularly in socially relevant situations.
- Attributional style and negative outcomes interact to influence depressive mood.
- Contextual factors may influence the direct impact of outcomes on mood.