A Psychometric Comparison of the Beck Depression Inventory and the Inventory for Diagnosing Depression in a College Population

The relationship between the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) and the Inventory for Diagnosing Depression (IDD) was evaluated in a college population. The BDI is an established self-report depression instrument. The IDD is a relatively new self-report depression instrument. The IDD was designed to address the BDI's lack of full correspondence with Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (3rd ed., rev.) ( DSM-III) through DSM-IV criteria. The two instruments were found to be highly correlated and Cronbach's alpha was found to be high for each instrument. The diagnostic performance of three BDI cutoff scores was found to vary considerably when compared to IDD diagnostic criteria. Implications for selection and use of self-report depression inventories are discussed.

Training Models in Counseling Psychology

Considerable discussion has occurred through the years regarding models of training. With the recent accreditation of counseling psychology programs espousing the practitioner-scholar model, the importance of reexamining the merits of this as well as the traditional scientist-practitioner is now very important for the future of the field. This article consists of two positions: One pro practitioner-scholar and the other pro scientist-practitioner and con practitioner-scholar. The first position (first part of the article) by Biever, Patterson, and Welch argues for inclusion of the practitioner-scholar model as an alternative for training in counseling psychology. The second position (in the second part of the article) by Stoltenberg, Pace, and Kashubeck reviews concerns with two competing models. These authors conclude that the scientist-practitioner model is a better fit for training in counseling psychology. Recommendations for training within models are presented.

A cultural-contextual perspective on the validity of the MMPI-2 with American Indians

This study investigated the normative validity of the MMPI-2 with two distinct American Indian tribes. Differences occurred on 8 of the 13 basic validity and clinical scales (F, 1, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9) between the MMPI-2 norms and both tribal samples. Elevated MMPI-2 scores of American Indians may not only reflect the possibility of psychological distress spurred by historical oppression and present adversity, but also an expression of a divergent worldview. Considering the context of the historical and social production of knowledge about American Indians, it is argued that researchers and practitioners, when interpreting MMPI-2 results for American Indians, should seriously consider their interpretive points of reference, which may be impacted by dominant cultural belief systems.

An experimental examination of learned helplessness in older adolescents and young adults with long-standing asthma

OBJECTIVE

To examine the effects of experimentally induced learned helplessness in older adolescents and young adults with long-standing asthma.

METHODS

Thirty-nine participants (18-24 years of age) with histories of long-standing asthma (AS) and an age-matched healthy cohort (HC) (N = 94) received either contingent or noncontingent feedback on an experimental task. Participants' anagram-solving performance was assessed following the experimental procedure. Participants also completed a measure of depression and pretest-posttest measures of mood, expectancy, and attributions related to experimental task performance.

RESULTS

The AS participants demonstrated significantly greater problem-solving deficits following response-noncontingent feedback, compared to the HC group. Further, whereas both AS and HC participants made more internal performance attributions when given response-contingent feedback, only AS participants demonstrated a pattern of increased internal attributions (i.e., self-focus) following response-noncontingent failure. In addition, 21% of AS participants met DSM-IV criteria for major depression, compared to only 5% of the HC group.

CONCLUSIONS

Individuals with long-standing asthma may be at increased risk for depression and for learned helplessness deficits, specifically impaired problem solving, in response to environmental noncontingency. Results are discussed in terms of both learned helplessness theory and perseverative self-focus conceptualizations of depression. The implications for both short- and long-term management of pediatric asthma are also discussed.

The Relationship between Children's Emotional and Behavioral Problems and the Social Responses of Elementary School Teachers

This study examined the relationship between children's emotional and behavioral problems and teachers' social responding. Elementary school students completed the Children's Depression Inventory and a parent completed the Child Behavior Checklist. Teachers rated children on measures of interpersonal attractiveness and personal rejection. Teachers' ratings of student interpersonal attractiveness were significantly correlated with the level of student depression, internalizing problems, externalizing problems, and overall psychopathology. However, teachers' ratings of personal rejection toward students only correlated with externalizing behavior problems. Family income was also related to child adjustment and teacher ratings. Externalizing behavior problems best predicted both lower interpersonal attractiveness and increased personal rejection, even after controlling for family income. Copyright 1999 Academic Press.

Illness uncertainty, attributional style, and psychological adjustment in older adolescents and young adults with asthma

Examined psychological adjustment in a college sample of older adolescents and young adults (n = 49) with histories of childhood asthma. A substantial number of subjects evidenced clinically significant levels of overall distress. In addition, greater perceived asthma uncertainty and increased stable attributions for negative events were significantly associated with poorer psychological adjustment after controlling for demographic and disease variables. Further analyses revealed a moderating influence of uncertainty on attribution-adjustment relationships. These findings provide initial support for a cognitive diathesis-stress view of adjustment in long-standing asthma. Results also support a growing body of evidence suggesting that the focus of efforts to enhance adjustment to asthma need to be expanded beyond childhood and early adolescence.

Screening for depression: use of patient questionnaires

Despite the prevalence of depression, it is consistently underdiagnosed. As a result, many depressed patients fail to receive adequate treatment and may experience serious consequences, including suicide. Various screening instruments have been developed to identify depression in patients whose symptoms might go unrecognized. Despite the risks associated with screening, many benefits may result. These include increased recognition of depression, alteration of treatment plans and improved clinical outcome.

Schema Theory: A Framework for Research and Practice in Psychotherapy

Both the nature of human problems and the process of behavioral change are increasingly being viewed from a cognitive-structural perspective. The concept of a cognitive schema seems to be the major theoretical construct used by researchers studying how cognitive structures influence human behavior. Schemas are fundamental cognitive structures, derived from past experience. Schemas operate by selectively organizing the on-going experience of each person into subjectively meaningful patterns. Through the operation of schemas, people are active constructors of their own psychological realities. This article presents an overview of the philosophical, historical, and theoretical foundations of schema theory. The relevance of schema theory for psychotherapy is presented through a discussion of schema oriented cognitive-behavioral theorists. A specific application of a schema framework in psychotherapy is illustrated by research on depressive self-schemas. It is hoped this article will serve as a stimulus to the continued application of schema oriented cognitive-structural approaches to research and practice in psychotherapy.