Analogue versus clinical depression: a critical reappraisal.

Much of the existing psychological literature on depression is based on research with college students. An important question is whether depression in college students represents an appropriate analogue of depression in clinical patients. The purpose of the present article is to review past evidence on this issue from a critical perspective. Past arguments are examined, and little support is found for the position that depression research with college students is not warranted. Moreover, the results of studies with student and clinical samples are compared, and the findings are generally similar across populations. Next, a number of methodological issues are identified that may actually favor the use of depressed college students, and some methodological recommendations for future research are outlined. Finally, an appeal is made for research that directly examines the analogue-clinical issue and the nature of college student depression.

The continuity of depression in clinical and nonclinical samples.

Historically, depression researchers have examined continuity in terms of whether the symptoms and characteristics of mild, moderate, and severe depression differ in degree along a continuum (i.e., a quantitative difference) or in kind (i.e., qualitative difference). The authors propose a differentiated framework that distinguishes 4 direct tests of continuity (i.e., phenomenological, typological, etiological, and psychometric continuity). They use this framework to suggest that most evidence is consistent with the continuity hypothesis. Moreover, they maintain that the findings of future research can be incorporated into a 2-factor model of depression that allows for both continuities and discontinuities.

Dimensions of perfectionism in unipolar depression.

We tested the hypothesis that self-oriented perfectionism, other-oriented perfectionism, and socially prescribed perfectionism are related differentially to unipolar depression. The Multidimensional Perfectionism Scale was administered along with measures of depression and anxiety to 22 depressed patients, 22 matched normal control subjects, and 13 anxiety patients. It was found that the depressed patients had higher levels of self-oriented perfectionism than did either the psychiatric or normal control subjects. In addition, depressed patients and anxious patients reported higher levels of socially prescribed perfectionism than did the normal control subjects. The results suggest that various dimensions of perfectionism may play an important role in clinical depression.

Dimensions of perfectionism, daily stress, and depression: a test of the specific vulnerability hypothesis.

We tested whether perfectionism dimensions interact with specific stressors to predict depression. A depressed patient sample (N = 51) and a general psychiatric sample (N = 94) completed measures of perfectionism, hassles, and depression. Subjects in Sample 2 also completed other personality measures to assess the amount of unique variance in depression. Partial support was obtained in that in both samples self-oriented perfectionism interacted only with achievement stressors to predict depression. Socially prescribed perfectionism interacted with interpersonal stress in Sample 1 and with achievement stress in Sample 2 to predict depression. Several personality variables, including socially prescribed perfectionism, accounted for unique variance in depression. The results suggest that perfectionism dimensions are associated with depression and may constitute specific vulnerability factors.

Perfectionism and depression: longitudinal assessment of a specific vulnerability hypothesis.

The authors tested whether perfectionism dimensions interact with specific stress to predict depression over time. A sample of 103 current and former patients completed measures of perfectionism and depression at Time 1 and measures of stress and depression 4 months later. After controlling Time 1 depression, self-oriented perfectionism interacted only with achievement stress to predict Time 2 depression. Socially prescribed perfectionism did not interact with achievement or social stress to predict Time 2 depression, but it did predict Time 2 depression as a main effect. The results provide support for the contention that perfectionism dimensions are involved in vulnerability to depression over time.

Perfectionism in the self and social contexts: conceptualization, assessment, and association with psychopathology.

This article attempted to demonstrate that the perfectionism construct is multidimensional, comprising both personal and social components, and that these components contribute to severe levels of psychopathology. We describe three dimensions of perfectionism: self-oriented perfectionism, other-oriented perfectionism, and socially prescribed perfectionism. Four studies confirm the multidimensionality of the construct and show that these dimensions can be assessed in a reliable and valid manner. Finally, a study with 77 psychiatric patients shows that self-oriented, other-oriented, and socially prescribed perfectionism relate differentially to indices of personality disorders and other psychological maladjustment. A multidimensional approach to the study of perfectionism is warranted, particularly in terms of the association between perfectionism and maladjustment.

The interaction model of anxiety and the threat of Quebec's separation from Canada.

The interaction model of anxiety was investigated by assessing trait and state anxiety in students at a Canadian university during the Quebec referendum. The results of Study 1 confirmed that the threat of separation by Quebec from Canada was perceived as an ambiguous, uncertain situation. In Study 2, reactions to this situation were assessed by having participants complete measures of anxiety and situation perception at Time 1 (i.e., 3 hr before the event) and Time 2 (i.e., 1 week after the vote). The results provide support for the interaction model; individuals who were high in trait anxiety in ambiguous situations and appraised the referendum situation as threatening were characterized by elevated state anxiety before the uncertain outcome of the vote. The results illustrate the need to examine trait anxiety and specific appraisals of situational threat in uncertain life situations.

Psychological distress and the frequency of perfectionistic thinking.

Five studies tested the hypotheses that there are individual differences in the frequency of automatic thoughts involving perfectionism and that these thoughts are associated with psychological distress. Research with the Perfectionism Cognitions Inventory (PCI) established that this new measure has adequate psychometric properties, and high PCI scorers tend to spontaneously report perfectionistic thoughts in naturalistic situations. Additional research confirmed that frequent perfectionism thoughts account for unique variance in distress, over and above variance predicted by standard measures of negative automatic thoughts and trait perfectionism measures. Overall, the findings support the view that personality traits involved in depression and anxiety have a cognitive component involving ruminative thoughts and that activation of this cognitive personality component contributes to distress.

Perfectionism is multidimensional: a reply to Shafran, Cooper and Fairburn.

provided a cognitive-behavioural analysis of perfectionism that focused primarily on self-oriented perfectionism. They argued against studying perfectionism from a multidimensional perspective that they regard as inconsistent with prior work on perfectionism as a self-oriented phenomenon. We respond to by offering historical, empirical, and theoretical support for the usefulness and the importance of a multidimensional model of perfectionism involving both intrapersonal processes and interpersonal dynamics. It is concluded that a multidimensional approach to the study of perfectionism is still warranted.

Perfectionism and suicide ideation in adolescent psychiatric patients.

This study was conducted to examine the relations between dimensions of perfectionism and suicide ideation in an adolescent psychiatric sample. A sample of 66 adolescents from an inpatient psychiatric facility completed the Child and Adolescent Perfectionism Scale, the Child's Hopelessness Scale, and the Suicide Ideation Questionnaire. Overall, the results indicated that socially prescribed perfectionism was associated with greater suicide ideation and that it, along with hopelessness, accounted for unique variance in suicide ideation scores. The findings are discussed in terms of their practical and theoretical significance as well as their consistency with similar research with adults.

Clinical depression and attributional complexity.

Recent research on attributional complexity with college student samples has indicated that mild and moderate depression are associated with increased attributional complexity but more severe depression may be related to decreased attributional complexity. The present study examined levels of attributional complexity in clinically depressed patients and normal controls. The results confirmed that severe depression is associated with reduced attributional complexity. The results are discussed in terms of the need for a multidimensional model of attribution and depression that incorporates individual differences in variables such as attributional complexity.

Perfectionism and suicide potential.

The present study employed a multidimensional approach to examine the association between perfectionism and suicide threat. The present study also examined whether perfectionism variables predicted variance in suicide threat and suicide intention that is not accounted for by other well-known predictors (i.e. depression and hopelessness). A sample of 87 psychiatric patients completed the Multidimensional Perfectionism Scale, the MMPI Threat Suicide Scale and the Beck Depression Inventory. The Multidimensional Perfectionism Scale assesses self-oriented perfectionism, other-oriented perfectionism, and socially prescribed perfectionism. The analyses revealed that socially prescribed perfectionism was the only perfectionism dimension correlated significantly with suicide threat and intent. Moreover, hierarchical regression analyses showed that socially prescribed perfectionism predicted variance in suicide scores that was not accounted for by depression or hopelessness. Overall, the findings suggest that suicide potential is associated with a dispositional tendency to perceive that other people are unrealistic in their expectations for the self. The results are discussed in terms of their implications for intervention.

Dimensions of perfectionism, hopelessness, and attempted suicide in a sample of alcoholics.

This study assessed whether specific dimensions of perfectionism and hopelessness were elevated in individuals who had made a serious suicide attempt in comparison to individuals with no history of suicide attempts. A sample of 39 inpatients with alcoholism who had made a serious suicide attempt and a matched sample of 39 inpatients with alcoholism but no history of suicide attempts completed the Multidimensional Perfectionism Scale, the Hopelessness Scale, ratings of achievement and social hopelessness, and the Beck Depression Inventory. The attempter group had higher scores on socially prescribed perfectionism, generalized hopelessness, achievement hopelessness, social hopelessness, and depression. A discriminant function analysis revealed that depression, social hopelessness, socially prescribed perfectionism, and other-oriented perfectionism were unique discriminators of the suicide groups. The results are discussed in terms of the importance of social personality variables in attempted suicide.

Conflicting goals in self-evaluative information seeking: developmental and ability level analyses.

Developmental changes in the resolution of conflicting goals involved in self-evaluation were examined in children entering second, fourth, and sixth grades representing high, medium, and low ability levels in arithmetic. Children completed a series of arithmetic tasks and were given an opportunity to evaluate themselves in terms of social comparison or autonomous comparison. As expected, overall, high-ability children engaged in the most self-evaluative information seeking, whereas low-ability children engaged in the least information seeking. Moreover, with increasing age, high-ability children were more likely to engage in autonomous comparison, whereas low- and medium-ability children maintained an interest in social comparison. In addition, greater interest in social comparison, particularly among older children, was associated with relative uncertainty about one's own ability but perceptions of ability as constant in others. The results are discussed in terms of strategies for balancing self-assessment with self-enhancement needs and the impact of such strategies for task mastery.

Depression, problem-solving ability, and problem-solving appraisals.

Behavioral analytic methods were used to create a college student version of the Means Ends Problem Solving Procedure (MEPS). This instrument then was administered with measures of perceived problem-solving ability to depressed and nondepressed students to determine whether differences exist in both problem-solving ability and problem-solving appraisal. Analyses revealed that depressed subjects had more negative expectations and lower appraisals of their problem-solving ability. However, the groups did not differ in terms of the actual quality of their behavioral solutions to interpersonal, intrapersonal, and emotional problem situations. The results are interpreted as support for the role of cognitive factors in depression and problem-solving across a range of problem-solving situations.

Coping and academic problem-solving ability in test anxiety.

The present study examined coping tendencies and perceptions of problem-solving ability in test anxiety. A sample of 125 students completed the revised Ways of Coping Questionnaire, the Academic Problem-Solving Inventory, and measures of state and trait test anxiety. Correlational analyses confirmed that emotion-focused coping (i.e., avoidant and confrontive coping) was associated positively with test anxiety. Also, test-anxious individuals reported poorer ability to solve academic problems. Finally, regression analyses revealed that coping tendencies and perceived problem-solving ability predicted unique variance in test-anxiety scores. The results are discussed in terms of the need for a multidimensional model of test anxiety that includes coping processes and self-evaluations of problem-solving ability.