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Self-reported distress: analog or Ersatz depression?

¹Department of Psychiatry, University of Michigan Medical Center, Ann Arbor 48109-0118.

Psychological Bulletin

|July 1, 1994

Summary

Self-reported distress in college students is not a valid analog for diagnosable depression. Distress differs from depression and is often mild and temporary, not indicating clinical depression.

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Area of Science:

Psychology
Clinical Psychology
Mental Health Research

Background:

Previous research suggested self-reported distress in college students could serve as an analog for diagnosable depression.
This conclusion by Vredenburg, Flett, and Krames (1993) is widely cited in the literature.
However, the validity of this analog has not been thoroughly examined against a broader literature base.

Purpose of the Study:

To critically examine the conclusion that self-reported distress in college students is an appropriate analog for diagnosable depression.
To differentiate between self-reported distress and clinical depression based on existing literature.
To highlight the limitations and potential pitfalls of using college student distress as a proxy for depression in broader populations.

Main Methods:

A comprehensive literature review was conducted.
Conceptual and empirical distinctions between distress and depression were analyzed.
Correlates of distress and depression were compared.
Characteristics of distress in college student samples were evaluated against clinical and adult community samples.

Main Results:

Self-reported distress is conceptually and empirically distinct from depression and depressive symptoms.
Distress shows stronger correlations with common psychological and social factors.
College student distress is typically mild and transient; most distressed students are not clinically depressed.
Generalizations from college student samples to adult clinical or community samples are problematic due to unique aspects of college life.

Conclusions:

The use of self-reported distress in college students as an analog for diagnosable depression is scientifically unsound.
Misunderstandings in the literature have obscured the limitations of this analog.
Continuing to use distress as a proxy for depression risks undermining scientific rigor, social responsibility, and the credibility of depression models.

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