Relationship between attributional style, perceived control, self-esteem, and depressive mood in a nonclinical sample: a structural equation-modelling approach.
BACKGROUND
The aim of this study was to examine the intricate relationship between some personality traits (i.e., attributional style, perceived control over consequences, self-esteem), and depressive mood in a nonclinical sample (N= 334). Method. Structural equation modelling was used to estimate five competing models: two vulnerability models describing the effects of personality traits on depressive mood, one scar model describing the effects of depression on personality traits, a mixed model describing the effects of attributional style and perceived control over consequences on depressive mood, which in turn affects self-esteem, and a reciprocal model which is a non-recursive version of the mixed model that specifies bidirectional effects between depressive mood and self-esteem.


RESULTS
The best-fitting model was the mixed model. Moreover, we observed a significant negative effect of depression on self-esteem, but no effect in the opposite direction.


CONCLUSIONS
These findings provide supporting arguments against the continuum model of the relationship between self-esteem and depression, and lend substantial support to the scar model, which claims that depressive mood damages and erodes self-esteem. In addition, the 'depressogenic' nature of the pessimistic attributional style, and the 'antidepressant' nature of perceived control over consequences plead in favour of the vulnerability model.
University of Bordeaux, France.
Julie
J
Ledrich
Kamel
K
Gana
D000328:Adult; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D003863:Depression / Q000523:psychology*; D004198:Disease Susceptibility / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007389:Internal-External Control; D008297:Male; D008960:Models, Psychological; D015233:Models, Statistical; D010552:Personality Assessment / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011582:Psychological Theory; D012649:Self Concept; D012718:Set, Psychology