The role of dysfunctional attitudes, negative life events, and social support in the prediction of depressive dysphoria: A prospective longitudinal study

The present study examined the role of dysfunctional attitudes, negative life events, and social support in predicting depressive dysphoria. Undergraduates (N = 196) completed the Dysfunctional Attitudes Scale (DAS; Weissman, 1980); the Hammen Life Events Survey (HLES; Hammen, Marks, Mayol, & deMayo, 1985); the Social Support Questionnaire-6 (SSQ-6; Sarason, Sarason, Shearin, & Pierce, 1987); and the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI; Beck, Ward, Mendelson, Mock, & Erbaugh, 1961) at three different times separated by five-week intervals. Multiple regression analyses revealed a significant three-way interaction between dysfunctional attitudes, negative life events, and social support predicting subsequent levels of depressive dysphoria. Decomposition of the three-way interaction using residualized change scores indicated that the combination of dysfunctional attitudes and negative life events, regardless of the size of their social support network, were associated with significantly higher levels of depressive dysphoria than individuals reporting lower levels of negative life events and larger social support networks, regardless of level of dysfunctional attitudes. These findings are discussed in terms of Beck’s (1967, 1976) theory of vulnerability to depression and the need for additional research to clarify further the role of each factor.