Validité cross-culturelle de la théorie cognitive de la dépression : une comparaison franco/nord-américaine

Abstract

This prospective study provided a direct comparison of French and American samples on variables central to cognitive theory of depression. Using the Experience Sampling Method and identical measures across sites, subjects were signaled five times daily for one week to provide reports of negative events, attributions, and depressed moods. Controlling for effects associated with gender and trait anxiety and depression, significant differences emerged between French and American samples concerning the average severity of daily negative events, depressed moods, and causal attributions. However, the relationships between these variables (the fundamental hypothesis of cognitive theory) was largely unaffected by sample source. The results underscore the importance of cultural factors for the experience of specific variables, but provide support for the generalizability of the theory’s tenets across French and American populations.