title: Evidence of latent depressive schemas in formerly depressed individuals.
abstract: Detecting the effects of latent depressive schemas constitutes an important step toward validating A. T. Beck's (1967) tenet of the depressive cognitive style as a causal factor in the onset and relapse of major depression. The authors examined whether a sample of formerly clinically depressed individuals continued to exhibit a negatively biased information-processing style in the absence of concurrent depressed mood. As predicted, the scores of formerly depressed individuals on 2 questionnaires tapping dysfunctional thinking did not differ from those of never depressed individuals, but responses of formerly depressed individuals were negatively biased on 2 of 3 information-processing measures administered following a self-focus manipulation. These results provide evidence for the persistence of a depressive schema in individuals who have recovered from major depression.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Texas at Austin 78712-2096, USA.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Hedlund
authors.forename: S S
authors.initials: SS
authors.lastname: Rude
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D003863:Depression / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008606:Mental Processes; D012647:Self-Assessment