Negative Cognitive Style and Past History of Major Depressive Episodes in University Students

The current study examined whether questionnaire- and interview-based assessments of negative cognitive style (Abramson et al. in Psychol Rev 96:358–372, 1989) were each associated with a past history of major depressive episodes (MDE) in currently non-disordered university students. In addition, we examined whether negative cognitive style as assessed by either questionnaire or interview was associated with a past history of MDE above and beyond the association between negative core beliefs (Beck in Depression: clinical, experimental, and theoretical aspects. Harper & Row, New York, 1967; Treatment of depression: old controversies and new approaches. Raven Press, New York, 1983; Young in Cognitive therapy for personality disorders: A schema-focused approach, 3rd edn. Professional Resource Exchange, Sarasota, 1990; Young et al. in Schema therapy: a practitioner’s guide. Guilford Press, New York, 2003) and such a history. Sixty university students completed self-report measures assessing current depressive symptoms and negative cognitive style as well as semi-structured clinical interviews assessing current and past history of MDEs, negative cognitive style, and negative core beliefs. In line with hypotheses, negative cognitive style as assessed by both questionnaire and interview were each significantly associated with a past history of MDE after controlling for current depressive symptoms. At the same time, of the two approaches to assessing negative cognitive style, only the interview-based approach exhibited a unique effect. Negative cognitive style as assessed by interview, but not by questionnaire, remained significantly associated with past depression after controlling for the association between negative core beliefs and such a history.