BULIMIC SYMPTOMS AND THE DEVELOPMENT OF DEPRESSIVE SYMPTOMS - THE MODERATING ROLE OF ATTRIBUTIONAL STYLE

Using a prospective design, we examined whether attributional style mo derated the relationship between the presence of bulimic symptoms and subsequent increases in depressive symptoms. As predicted, the presenc e of bulimic symptoms in college females at one point in time (T1) was associated with increases in depressive symptoms from T1 to T2 (3 wee ks after T1) for subjects who exhibited a negative attributional style , but not for subjects who exhibited a positive attributional style. D epressive symptoms at T1 were not associated with increases in bulimic symptoms from T1 to T2. Of importance to the hopelessness theory of d epression (Abramson, Metalsky, & Alloy, 1989), the presence of bulimic symptoms alone did not predict onset of depressive symptoms; it was o nly when bulimic symptoms and the negative attributional style were co mbined that depressive symptoms emerged The hypothesis that these effe cts would be mediated by hopelessness obtained marginal support, and e ffects were obtained for depressive and anhedonic symptoms but not for anxious symptoms. We discussed implications for future work, includin g the value of the hopelessness theory of depression in explaining the co-occurrence of depressive and bulimic symptoms.