A Test of Interpersonal Theory of Depression in Youth Psychiatric Inpatients

Author: Joiner Jr. T.E.¹

Source: Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, Volume 27, Number 1, February 1999 , pp. 77-85(9)

Publisher: Springer

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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.

Keywords: Reassurance-seeking; depression; rejection

Language: English

Document Type: Research article

Affiliations: 1: Department of Psychology, Florida State University, Tallahassee, Florida 32306-1270; joiner@psy.fsu.edu

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