We introduce the Seasonal Beliefs Questionnaire (SBQ), a self-report inventory of maladaptive thoughts about the seasons, light availability, and weather conditions, proposed to constitute a unique cognitive vulnerability to winter seasonal affective disorder (SAD; Rohan, Roecklein, & Haaga, 2009). Potential items were derived from a qualitative analysis of self-reported thoughts during SAD-tailored cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT-SAD) and subsequently refined based on qualitative feedback from 48 SAD patients. In the psychometric study (N = 536 college students), exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses pruned the items to a 26-item scale with a 5-factor solution, demonstrating good internal consistency, convergent and divergent validity, and 2-week test-retest reliability. In a known groups comparison, the SBQ discriminated SAD patients (n = 86) from both nonseasonal major depressive disorder (MDD) patients (n = 30) and healthy controls (n = 110), whereas a generic measure of depressogenic cognitive vulnerability (the Dysfunctional Attitudes Scale [DAS]) discriminated MDD patients from the other groups. In a randomized clinical trial comparing CBT-SAD with light therapy (N = 177), SBQ scores improved at twice the rate in CBT-SAD than in light therapy. Greater change in SBQ scores during CBT-SAD, but not during light therapy, was associated with a lower risk of depression recurrence 2 winters later. In contrast, DAS scores improved comparably during CBT-SAD and light therapy, and DAS change was unrelated to recurrence following either treatment. These results support using the SBQ as a brief assessment tool for a SAD-specific cognitive vulnerability and as a treatment target in CBT-SAD. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved).
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:ETSU/oai:dc.etsu.edu:etsu-works-9040 |
| Date | 01 July 2019 |
| Creators | Rohan, Kelly J., Meyerhoff, Jonah, Ho, Sheau-Yan, Roecklein, Kathryn A., Nillni, Yael I., Hillhouse, Joel J., DeSarno, Michael J., Vacek, Pamela M. |
| Publisher | Digital Commons @ East Tennessee State University |
| Source Sets | East Tennessee State University |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | text |
| Source | ETSU Faculty Works |
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