• About
    • Login
    View Item 
    •   Institutional Repository Home
    • Electronic Theses and Dissertations
    • Electronic Theses and Dissertations
    • View Item
    •   Institutional Repository Home
    • Electronic Theses and Dissertations
    • Electronic Theses and Dissertations
    • View Item
    JavaScript is disabled for your browser. Some features of this site may not work without it.

    Browse

    All of Institutional RepositoryCommunities & CollectionsBy Issue DateAuthorsTitlesSubjectsThis CollectionBy Issue DateAuthorsTitlesSubjects

    My Account

    LoginRegister

    How Cognitive Development May Impact Cognitive Models of Depression in Youth

    Weitlauf, Amy Sue
    : https://etd.library.vanderbilt.edu/etd-07232010-105852
    http://hdl.handle.net/1803/13491
    : 2010-08-05

    Abstract

    Attributional theories of depression (Abramson, Seligman, & Teasdale, 1978; Abramson, Metalsky, & Alloy, 1989) are often applied to children. However, these theories do not consider how children’s understanding of causal relations may differ from adults’. These differences may impact the applicability of attributional theories to young populations. Children ages 8-16 years (n = 94) and their parents were recruited to examine how cognitive developmental differences may impact the relations between attributional style (AS), negative life events (NLE), and depression. This project implemented and validated a new measure, the Peabody Causal Attribution Test (PCAT), designed to assess cognitive prerequisites for an adult-like AS. The PCAT showed significant positive relations to measures of AS and other measures of cognitive development, but not age. Evidence of a diathesis-stress interaction emerged such that children with low PCAT scores, high NLE and a depressogenic AS were more likely to endorse depressive symptoms than children with high PCAT scores. Implications for theory are discussed.
    Show full item record

    Files in this item

    Icon
    Name:
    WeitlaufDissertationManuscript ...
    Size:
    304.9Kb
    Format:
    PDF
    View/Open

    This item appears in the following collection(s):

    • Electronic Theses and Dissertations

    Connect with Vanderbilt Libraries

    Your Vanderbilt

    • Alumni
    • Current Students
    • Faculty & Staff
    • International Students
    • Media
    • Parents & Family
    • Prospective Students
    • Researchers
    • Sports Fans
    • Visitors & Neighbors

    Support the Jean and Alexander Heard Libraries

    Support the Library...Give Now

    Gifts to the Libraries support the learning and research needs of the entire Vanderbilt community. Learn more about giving to the Libraries.

    Become a Friend of the Libraries

    Quick Links

    • Hours
    • About
    • Employment
    • Staff Directory
    • Accessibility Services
    • Contact
    • Vanderbilt Home
    • Privacy Policy