The expression of cognitive vulnerabilities for depression in daily life: a French-American study

Abstract

This prospective study provided a direct comparison of French and American samples concerning a cognitive diathesis for depression. Using the Experience Sampling Method and identical measures across sites, subjects were signaled five times daily by electronic devices to provide in vivo reports of negative events, attributions, and depressed moods. After controlling for effects associating clinical and demographic variables, and despite differences attributable to national origin, attributional style emerged as a highly significant predictor of the numerous specific attributions made to negative events within the course of daily life. However, consistent with the cognitive mediation hypothesis, attributional style did not directly explain depression levels. The results are discussed in terms of the predictive power of cognitive and personality assessments in understanding the day-to-day experience of depression.