Title:
College students' social processes and their relation to depressive symptoms: a test of Coynes' Interactional Theory of Depression
Author:
Melissa Artnak
Thesis Advisor:
Rachel Grover
Committee Member:
Carolyn Barry
Committee Member:
Theresa DiDonato
Degree Granting Institution:
Loyola University Maryland--College of Arts and Sciences
Place:
Baltimore (Md.)
Publisher:
Loyola University Maryland
Date Created:
2011
Type of Resource:
text
Genre:
thesis
Language:
eng
Format:
application/pdf
Physical Form:
electronic
Digital Source:
born digital
Abstract:
The college student population is at an increased risk for developing an episode of major depression and is experiencing a life stage during which peer relationships are of particular importance to their daily experiences. Considering this, Coyne’s (1976) Interactional Theory of Depression, which highlights the cyclical relation between depressive symptoms and interpersonal rejection, is important to investigate within the context of the college student population. Specific interpersonal behaviors characteristic of depression that contribute to this cycle include excessive reassurance seeking, negative feedback seeking, and co-rumination. The majority of existing research utilizes self-report or friend-report data to investigate these behaviors, instead of observational methodology. Additionally, minimal research exists that investigates the combined effect of all three key behaviors. Therefore, the present study addressed these limitations by examining objectively rated occurrences of the three behaviors within the context of videotaped interaction between college-aged participants (N=48) and their friends. Hypotheses predicted that the relation between depressive symptoms and friendship quality would be mediated independently by co-rumination, negative feedback seeking, and excessive reassurance seeking. Results of these mediation analyses were not significant. An additional hypothesis predicted there would be a significant effect of all three behaviors combined in the prediction of friendship quality, when controlling for the effect of depression. The multiple regression testing this hypothesis was not significant. A final hypothesis proposed that gender of the participant would moderate the relation between co-rumination and friendship quality. Results of this moderator analysis were also not significant. Implications of these findings are addressed as well as directions to consider in future research projects.
Subject:
College students--Mental health
Subject:
Depression, Mental
Subject:
Interpersonal relations
Subject:
Beck Depression Inventory II
Subject:
Network of Relationships Inventory Revised
Subject:
Electronic dissertations
Degree:
Doctor of Psychology
Level:
Doctoral
Discipline:
Psychology
Restrictions on Access:
Author has given permission to make this work available online.
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Identifier:
ArtnakM-11
