Locus of control and depression: that confounded relationship

Two studies were conducted to clarify the relationship between locus of control and depression. In the first study, 157 students rated the mood level of Rotter's I-E items. As predicted, the external responses were rated as significantly more depressive in tone than the internal responses. This result suggested that the frequently found relationship between depression and external locus of control might be artifactual, resulting from the mood level rather than the content of the external responses. In the second study, 108 students completed the Beck Depression Inventory and the I-E; as predicted, the scales were significantly positively correlated. However, also as predicted, the correlation was no longer significant once the mood level was partialed out from the I-E items.