Conference paper
ACUTE PSYCHOSOCIAL STRESS DOES NOT INCREASE DYSFUNCTIONAL ATTITUDES
Su Ying Yeoh
; School of Clinical Medicine University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK; Churchill College Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
Paul Wilkinson
; Department of Psychiatry Universityof Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
Abstract
Introduction: Dysfunctional attitudes about oneself, the world and the future, measured quantitatively by Weissman’s
Dysfunctional Attitudes Scale (DAS), are thought to influence the onset and persistence of major depressive disorder. However,
never-depressed individuals may also harbour latent negative schema which may become activated under stressful conditions, giving
rise to dysfunctional negative cognitions.
Objectives: This study investigated whether everyday psychosocial stresses could be sufficient to activate dysfunctional selfschema
and increase negative cognitions in a large group of healthy adolescents and a preliminary cohort of previously depressed
adolescents.
Methods: 92 never-depressed adolescents aged 17-19 and 18 previously depressed adolescents, recruited from the Cambridge
ROOTS cohort, took either version A or B of the DAS at rest on day 1. On day 2, they were subjected to the Trier Social Stress Test,
a psychosocial stress paradigm, 22 minutes after which they took the other version of DAS.
Results: Stress did not affect the DAS score in either group.
Conclusions: Brief psychosocial stress does not appear to influence negative assumptions in healthy young adults with or
without a past history of depression. It is possible that this is because dysfunctional assumptions, unlike self-schemas, are not latent.
More long-term stresses may be needed to activate negative thoughts to a level where risk of depression is increased.
Keywords
acute psychosocial stress; dysfunctional attitudes; negative schema; depressive disorder
Hrčak ID:
265725
URI
Publication date:
5.11.2014.
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