Specificity of cognitive structure in depression and social phobia: a comparison of interpersonal and achievement content.
BACKGROUND
The comorbidity between the mood and anxiety is extensive and it is probable that individuals with these disorders share a number of cognitive characteristics. However, comorbidity rates with depression are not uniform among the various anxiety disorders. This study examined the common and distinguishing features of self-schematic structure in major depressive disorder and social anxiety compared to other anxiety disorders in general and to no psychiatric disturbance.


METHODS
Participants completed the Psychological Distance Scaling Task, which provided an index of the cognitive organization of positively and negatively valenced interpersonal and achievement self-referent content.


RESULTS
The depression and social phobia groups were statistically equivalent on all indices of cognitive organization, and showed greater interconnectedness among interpersonal negative content than both control groups, and less interconnectedness among both positive interpersonal and achievement content than did nonpsychiatric controls. Psychiatric groups were equivalent on negative achievement content but showed greater interconnectedness than controls.


CONCLUSIONS
This study had a modest sample size and the findings are constrained to females.


CONCLUSIONS
Negative interpersonal content is more densely interconnected in individuals with social phobia and depression compared with both other anxiety disorder and nonpsychiatric controls. In addition, both social phobia and depression were associated with less interconnected positive content. These findings are indicative of similarities in the way self-schematic content may be organized in individuals with depression and social phobia. Theoretical explanations of these results and future research directions are discussed.
Dozois
David J A
DJ
Department of Psychology, University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, Canada N6A 5C2. ddozois@uwo.ca
Frewen
Paul A
PA
D000124:Achievement; D000328:Adult; D001008:Anxiety Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology; D001364:Awareness; D003469:Culture; D003865:Major Depressive Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D006380:Helplessness, Learned; D006801:Humans; D007389:Internal-External Control; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010555:Personality Inventory / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D010698:Phobic Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000523:psychology; D012929:Psychological Distance; D011594:Psychometrics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012649:Self Concept; D013223:Statistics as Topic