Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

A Test of Interpersonal Theory of Depression in Youth Psychiatric Inpatients

  • Published:
Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Coyne's (1976b) interpersonal theory of depression postulated that the combination of depressive symptoms and excessive reassurance-seeking leads to interpersonal problems (e.g., loneliness, devaluation). The present study is one of the first to test this model among youth, particularly a clinical sample of youth. Sixty-eight youth psychiatric inpatients (35 girls; 33 boys; mean age = 13.34 years, SD = 2.50) completed self-report measures of excessive reassurance-seeking, depressive symptoms, and interpersonal rejection. Results conformed to the hypothesis: The statistical interaction of excessive reassurance-seeking and depressive symptoms predicted interpersonal rejection, such that high-reassurance-seeking youth with depressive symptoms reported the most interpersonal rejection. Implications of the findings for interpersonal theory of depression in youngsters are discussed.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

REFERENCES

  • Clark, L. A., & Watson, D. (1991). Tripartite model of anxiety and depression: Psychometric evidence and taxonomic implication. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 100, 316–336.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cohen, J., & Cohen, P. (1983). Applied multiple regression/correlation analysis for the behavioral sciences (2nd ed.). Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum.

    Google Scholar 

  • Coyne, J. C. (1976a). Depression and the response of others. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 85, 186–193.

    Google Scholar 

  • Coyne, J. C. (1976b). Toward an interactional description of depression. Psychiatry, 39, 28–40.

    Google Scholar 

  • Faust, J., Baum, C. G., & Forehand, R. (1985). An examination of the association between social relationships and depression in early adolescence. Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology, 6, 291–297.

    Google Scholar 

  • Garber, J., & Hollon, S. D. (1991). What can specificity designs say about causality in psychopathology research? Psychological Bulletin, 110, 129–136.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gotlib, I. H., & Robinson, L. A. (1982). Response to depressed individuals: Discrepancies between self-report and observerrated behavior. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 91, 231–240.

    Google Scholar 

  • Joiner, Jr., T. E. (1994). Contagious depression: Existence, specificity to depressed symptoms, and the role of reassurance-seeking. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 67, 287–296.

    Google Scholar 

  • Joiner, Jr., T. E., Alfano, M. S., & Metalsky, G. I. (1992). When depression breeds contempt: Reassurance-seeking, self-esteem, and rejection of depressed college students by their roommates. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 101, 165–173.

    Google Scholar 

  • Joiner, Jr., T. E., & Barnett, J. (1994). A test of interpersonal theory of depression in children and adolescents using a projective technique. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 22, 595–609.

    Google Scholar 

  • Joiner, T. E., Jr., Catanzaro, S., & Laurent, J. (1996). The tripartite structure of positive and negative affect, depression, and anxiety in child and adolescent psychiatric inpatients. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 105, 401–409.

    Google Scholar 

  • Joiner, Jr., T. E., Katz, J., & Lew, A. (1997). Self-verification and depression among youth psychiatric inpatients. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 106, 608–618.

    Google Scholar 

  • Joiner, Jr., T. E., Katz, J., & Lew, A. (in press). Harbingers of depressotypic reassurance-seeking: Increased anxiety, decreased self-esteem, and negative life events. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin.

  • Joiner, Jr., T. E., & Metalsky, G. I. (1995). A prospective test of an integrative interpersonal theory of depression: A naturalistic study of college roommates. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 69, 778–788.

    Google Scholar 

  • Joiner, Jr., T. E., & Metalsky, G. I. (1998). Reassurance-seeking: Delineating a risk factor involved in the pathogenesis of depression. Manuscript submitted to publication.

  • Joiner, Jr., T. E., & Schmidt, N. B. (in press). Excessive reassurance-seeking predicts depressive but not anxious reactions to acute stress. Journal of Abnormal Psychology.

  • Joiner, Jr., T. E., Schmidt, K. L., & Schmidt, N. B. (1996). Low-end specificity of childhood measures of emotional distress: Differential effects for depression and anxiety. Journal of Personality Assessment, 67, 258–271.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jöreskog, K. G, & Sörbom, D. (1989). LISREL 7: A guide to the program and applications (2nd. ed.). Chicago: Statistical Package for the Social Sciences.

    Google Scholar 

  • Katz, J., & Joiner, Jr., T. E. (in press). Contagious depression among dating couples: The roles of reassurance-seeking and intimacy. Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology.

  • Kovacs, M. (1992). Children's Depression Inventory manual. Los Angeles: Western Psychological Services.

    Google Scholar 

  • Laurent, J., Potter, K., & Catanzaro, S. J. (1994, March). Assessing positive and negative affect in children: The development of the PANAS-C. Paper presented at the 26th annual convention of the National Association of School Psychologists, Seattle, WA.

  • Lonigan, C. J., Carey, M. P., & Finch, A. J., Jr. (1994). Anxiety and depression in children and adolescents: Negative affectivity and the utility of self-reports. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 62, 1000–1008.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mullins, L. L., Peterson, L., Wonderlich, S. A., & Reaven, N. M. (1986). The influence of depressive symptomatology in children on the social responses and perceptions of adults. Journal of Child Clinical Psychology, 15, 233–240.

    Google Scholar 

  • Nolen-Hoeksema, S., & Girgus, J. S. (1994). The emergence of gender differences in depression during adolescence. Psychological Bulletin, 115, 424–443.

    Google Scholar 

  • Peterson, L., Wonderlich, S., Reaven, N. M., & Mullins, L. L. (1987). Adult educators' response to depression and stress in children. Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology, 5, 51–58.

    Google Scholar 

  • Potthoff, J. G., Holahan, C. J., & Joiner, Jr., T. E. (1995). Reassurance-seeking, stress generation, and depressive symptoms: An integrative model. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 68, 664–670.

    Google Scholar 

  • Swann, W. B., Wenzlaff, R. M., Krull, D. S., & Pelham, B. W. (1992). Allure of negative feedback: Self-verification strivings among depressed persons. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 101, 293–305.

    Google Scholar 

  • Vosk, B., Forehand, R., Parker, J. B., Rickard, K. (1982). A multimethod comparison of popular and unpopular children. Developmental Psychology, 18, 571–575.

    Google Scholar 

  • Watson, D., Clark, L. A., & Carey, G. (1988). Positive and Negative Affectivity and their relation to anxiety and depressive disorders. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 97, 346–353.

    Google Scholar 

  • Watson, D., Clark, L. A., & Tellegen, A. (1988). Development and validation of brief measures of positive and negative affect: The PANAS scales. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 54, 1063–1070.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Florida State University, Tallahassee, Florida, 32306

    Thomas E. Joiner Jr.

Authors
  1. Thomas E. Joiner Jr.
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Thomas E. Joiner Jr..

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Joiner, T.E. A Test of Interpersonal Theory of Depression in Youth Psychiatric Inpatients. J Abnorm Child Psychol 27, 77–85 (1999). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1022666424731

Download citation

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1022666424731

Search

Navigation