title: A context-informed approach to the study of negative-feedback seeking in depression.
abstract: The purpose of the current study was to examine the link between negative-feedback seeking (NFS) and depression using a behavioural task that addressed many of the limitations of existing measures of NFS, to use a remitted-depressive design to determine whether NFS is a temporary or stable feature of depression, and to examine the role of personality and contextual variables (e.g., marital quality, spousal characteristics) in NFS. Using a sample of 59 couples (12 wife currently depressed, 20 wife remitted-depressed, and 27 wife never-depressed), we designed a task that correlated with an established measure of NFS and was able to distinguish between non-depressed and currently depressed wives. Using this behavioural task, we found that NFS is stably associated with depression and that relationship and partner characteristics may protect depressed individuals from engaging in destructive interpersonal patterns.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Waterloo, 200 University Avenue West, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada N2L 3GI. rehman@uwaterloo.ca
authors.forename: Uzma S
authors.initials: US
authors.lastname: Rehman
authors.forename: Eliane M
authors.initials: EM
authors.lastname: Boucher
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Duong
authors.forename: Natalie
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: George
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D003863:Depression / Q000523:psychology*; D030141:Feedback, Psychological; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D008297:Male; D008393:Marriage; D009341:Negativism; D010555:Personality Inventory; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales