The purpose of this study was to examine the degree vi of redundancy between two prominent cognitive theories of depression: Beck's cognitive triad and Seligrnan's attributional triad. Three hundred and eighteen subjects were recruited from nine different psychology courses at Utah State University and affiliated locations across the state. Subjects completed the Cognitive Triad Inventory (CTI), the Attributional Style Questionnaire (ASQ), and the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI). Results indicate that the three CTI subscales (self, world, and future) and the three ASQ subscales (internal, global, and stable) did not correlate sufficiently to merit integration across measures. However, factor analyses reduced the three CTI constructs to two factors: a security/insecurity factor and the presence/absence of stressors. The ASQ also was reducible to two factors: a global/stable factor and an internal factor. The new CTI and ASQ factors could predict depression scores on the BDI equally as well as the CTI subscales and ASQ subscales, respectively.

Depression is an increasingly common health problem among youth. There is growing empirical evidence that CBT is a promising treatment for childhood depression. It remains unclear what treatment-specific effects of CBT contribute to therapeutic gains. Cognitive theories propose that a primary mechanism of change in CBT are cognitive interventions that target depressogenic cognitions regarding the self, world, and future (cognitive triad), which are thought to mediate depression. The effects of cognitive interventions on depressive symptoms are thus hypothesized to be mediated by changes in the cognitive triad. No studies have investigated whether CBT for depressed youth works by treating the cognitive triad through the implementation of cognitive techniques. As part of a larger study analyzing the mechanisms of change in CBT for depressed youth, the purpose of this study was to investigate: (1) whether specific cognitive techniques are related to depressive symptom reduction in youth, and (2) if improvements in depressive symptoms are mediated through the cognitive triad of depressed youth. Participants were 42 girls, aged 8 to 14, who completed a manualized CBT protocol for depression in group format. Girls completed a diagnostic interview for depression and self-report measures assessing the cognitive triad. Group therapy sessions were coded for cognitive interventions. Results indicated a non-significant relation between levels of cognitive interventions and post-treatment depression scores, after controlling for pre-treatment depression. Therefore, tests of mediation were discontinued. Relevant control variables were added to the model to reduce error variance. After controlling for pre-treatment depression, age, presence of learning disorder, mastery of therapeutic skills, and behavioral interventions, cognitive interventions were significantly and positively associated with post-treatment depression. The relation between cognitive interventions and the cognitive triad was non-significant and meditational analyses were discontinued. Exploratory factor analysis revealed four cognitive interventions factors that were consistent with CBT theory. Further analyses revealed that all factors were not significantly related to post-treatment depression. Tests of interactions between cognitive interventions and behavioral interventions, age, and mastery level of therapeutic skills were also non-significant. Implications, limitations, and recommendations for further areas of research are presented. / text

It is important to understand the development of depression, and how a family component to treatment affects early adolescent girls’ depression given the association between depression and negative future outcomes. A potential vulnerability to depression is the cognitive triad, which encompasses beliefs about the self, world, and future and is shaped by early learning experiences. Research indicates that the vulnerability originates from parent-child relationships and family messages, which are important in the development of youth cognitive styles. Previous research also indicates that family variables are important factors to consider in the treatment of depression. The purpose of the current study was to expand previous research by examining the roles of perceived family messages and the cognitive triad in the development of depression for early adolescent girls. The study also explored whether parent gender differentiated how family messages affect girls’ cognitions and depressive symptoms. The study evaluated how the addition of a parent training component to a school-based, group-administered CBT intervention affected change in the model’s variables in comparison to group-administered CBT intervention alone and a monitoring control condition. Participants included early adolescent girls diagnosed with depression and caregivers in the parental treatment component. Girls were randomly assigned to a CBT, CBT+PT, or minimal contact control condition. Ratings of girls’ perceptions of family messages, cognitions, and depressive symptoms were obtained at pre-treatment and post-treatment. Results from structural equation modeling indicated significant effects from perceived family messages to girls’ cognitions. Further, girls’ cognitions mediated the relation between perceived family messages and girls’ depressive symptoms at post-treatment for participants within the CBT and monitoring conditions. No significant differences were evident between parent gender and perceived messages. Results indicated that the addition of a parent component to the CBT intervention did not significantly differ from the CBT intervention alone in its effects on the variable relations within the model at post-treatment. Supplemental analyses highlighted parent attendance as a significant factor, with larger effects from the family messages on girls’ cognitions appearing when parents attended majority (six or more) of the eight parent training sessions. Implications, limitations, and areas for further research are discussed. / text

Text in Afrikaans / Depression as disorder is an ever-increasing phenomenon. Especially, during the adolescent years, depression seems to be on the increase. The developmental phase of adolescence, characterised by a fragile self-esteem, places high demands on the adolescent. The depressed adolescent frequently has a negative self-esteem manifesting from the adolescent's belief that the demands of this phase are inadequately met. It would appear as if the depressed individual constantly tends to see himself in a negative light. In this study the focus is on the negative thought processes (cognitive distortions) demonstrated by the depressed adolescent. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effect of cognitive therapy on the self-esteem of the adolescent and interplay thereof with depression. Beck's psychotherapeutic model is evaluated in the light of a single case study / Educational Studies / M.Ed.

Text in Afrikaans / Depression as disorder is an ever-increasing phenomenon. Especially, during the adolescent years, depression seems to be on the increase. The developmental phase of adolescence, characterised by a fragile self-esteem, places high demands on the adolescent. The depressed adolescent frequently has a negative self-esteem manifesting from the adolescent's belief that the demands of this phase are inadequately met. It would appear as if the depressed individual constantly tends to see himself in a negative light. In this study the focus is on the negative thought processes (cognitive distortions) demonstrated by the depressed adolescent. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effect of cognitive therapy on the self-esteem of the adolescent and interplay thereof with depression. Beck's psychotherapeutic model is evaluated in the light of a single case study / Educational Studies / M.Ed.