High Cognitive Risk For Depression Research Articles

Self-Distancing May Be Harmful: Third-Person Writing Increases Levels of Depressive Symptoms Compared to Traditional Expressive Writing and No Writing

Introduction: The positive effects of expressive writing on both mental and physical health are well documented. However, expressive writing may have the potential to activate negative schemas and facilitate rumination in those at high cognitive risk for depression (Yasinski, Hayes, & Laurenceau, 2016). The current research tested the hypothesis that writing using self-distancing would be more effective than traditional expressive writing in preventing depressive symptoms for those at high cognitive risk for depression. Method: Two studies using undergraduate samples (n = 104 and n = 80) were conducted to test our hypotheses. Both studies used a two-week daily writing experimental design. Results: Contrary to hypotheses, Study 1 found that individuals randomly assigned to a self-distancing writing condition reported greater levels of depressive symptoms than those assigned to a traditional expressive writing condition. The results of Study 2 replicated the results of Study 1. Participants randomly assigned to the self-distancing writing condition reported significantly greater levels of depressive symptoms than those in the expressive writing and no-writing control conditions. The effect of writing condition in Study 2 was driven by those with high levels of cognitive vulnerability. Discussion: Results suggest that writing using self-distancing should not be used for the prevention of depressive symptoms.

The exploration of implicit aspects of self-esteem in vulnerability – stress models of depression

Research investigating vulnerable self-esteem as a risk factor for depression has largely relied on self-report measures, which are susceptible to self-presentational biases and neglect individuals' automatic, nonconscious self-attitudes. Accordingly, the current study incorporated implicit self-esteem techniques, along with traditional self-report measures, into a longitudinal investigation of depressive vulnerability. Findings revealed that in contrast to the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale and the Initials-Preference Task, the self – other Implicit Association Test was the only self-esteem measure to yield the hypothesized three-way interaction with cognitive risk and negative events in predicting depressive symptoms over time. Specifically, for individuals at high cognitive risk for depression, the effects of life stress on depressive symptoms were especially pernicious for those demonstrating lower self – other Implicit Association Test scores.

The Development of Depressogenic Cognitive Styles: The Role of Negative Childhood Life Events and Parental Inferential Feedback

This study examined the role of childhood negative life events and parental inferential feedback in the development of cognitive vulnerability to depression. Students with negative cognitive styles, previously shown to be at high cognitive risk for depression, were predicted to have a greater history of negative childhood life events and negative parental inferential feedback than were students at low cognitive risk for depression. It was further predicted that parental inferential feedback would moderate the relationship between negative childhood life events and cognitive risk for depression. Finally, the associations between subsets of childhood negative life events and cognitive risk for depression were examined. No significant main effects were found for childhood negative life events or parental inferential feedback. The interaction of these 2 variables was significantly associated with cognitive risk status. Specifically, high levels of negative childhood life events in combination with negative maternal inferential feedback were associated with students’ cognitive risk for depression. When the negative childhood life events were divided into subsets, no main effects or interactions were found.