Increase In Depressive Symptomatology Research Articles

Certainty-Related Beliefs and Depressive Symptomatology: Concurrent and Longitudinal Relationships

Although depression has been associated with both uncertainty about the causes of events and certainty that negative events will happen, little is known about the relationship between these two types of certainty-related beliefs. A 6-week prospective study assessed the concurrent and longitudinal relationships among causal uncertainty, depressive predictive certainty, uncontrollability, and depressive symptomatology. Causal uncertainty and depressive predictive certainty were not related either concurrently or longitudinally. Depressive predictive certainty was associated with increases in depressive symptomatology over time and causal uncertainty, was shown to be a concomitant of depression. Perceptions of uncontrollability were found to be an antecedent of causal uncertainty, as well as a consequence of both causal uncertainty and depression. Uncontrollability, however, was not related to depressive predictive certainty. Implications of these results for models of causal uncertainty and hopelessness depression are examined.

Effects of a Negative Life Event and Negative Perceived Problem‐Solving Alternatives on Depression in Adolescents: a Prospective Study

The associations among negative life events (NLEs), perceived problem-solving alternatives (PPSA), and depression in adolescents were studied prospectively. One hundred and fifty high school students completed PPSA and depression scales when the term began, and the depression scale again after receiving term grades. Grade Change groups were defined by whether grades Increased or Dropped. The Dropped group who also selected Negative PPSAs increased in depression. No other group differences were found. Thus, experiencing a NLE is likely to lead to an increase in depressive symptomatology only for adolescents with primarily negative PPSAs, perhaps in interaction with prior depression, at least for the specific NLE studied here.

Increases in depressive symptomatology in the rural elderly: Results from a cross-sectional and longitudinal study.

Increases in depressive symptomatology in the rural elderly: Results from a cross-sectional and longitudinal study.

Increases in depressive symptomatology in the rural elderly: results from a cross-sectional and longitudinal study.

Depressive symptomatology was examined in a large sample of noninstitutionalized older adults using the Center for Epidemiological Studies-Depression scale (CES-D). Both cross-sectional and longitudinal data showed age-related increases in mean CES-D scores and increases in the percentage of respondents scoring at or above the cutoff score of 16. Variables collected at baseline in the longitudinal study from 2,032 participants 65 years of age and older were significant predictors of depressive symptomatology 3 and 6 years later. Baseline CES-D scores accounted for the largest proportion of the variance.

A Longitudinal Study of Risk Factors for Depressive Symptomatology in Elderly Widowed and Married Women

Few studies have examined whether risk factors for depressive symptomatology differ in bereaved and nonbereaved individuals or whether risk factors differ in bereaved individuals over time. Between 1979 and 1983 in Washington County, Maryland, the associations between various health and social network variables and depressive symptomatology were evaluated prior to bereavement and at 1 and 12 months after bereavement in 136 widows and 409 married controls. Prior Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale scores were generally a good predictor of subsequent scores; however, shortly after bereavement prior scores proved relatively uninformative as most widows experienced a marked increase in depressive symptomatology. Poor health and limitations in physical activity at baseline were consistently associated with higher levels of symptomatology. Although having more friends was also consistently associated with lower levels of symptomatology, the effect of family size appeared to be time and circumstance specific. These results suggest that women at risk of prolonged depression after the death of their husbands can be identified prior to or at the time of bereavement and that widows have risk factors similar to those of women at risk of depression in the general community.

Law, preventive psychiatry, and therapeutic abortion.

In states in which abortion can be granted when the risk of continuing pregnancy would impair the mental health of the mother the psychiatrist has been placed in the role of dispensator. Previous studies have shown that the children of women denied a legal abortion more often have insecure childhoods and have greater social maladjustments than their peers. The literature indicates few prolonged psychiatric disorders per se of women granted abortions. A retrospective study of 70 California patients granted abortion for acute reaction showed that only 14% showed an increase in depressive symptomatology though none related it to the abortion. These checks were done at 2 weeks and 3-5 months postabortively. During that period depression decreased.