Ap. Morrison et al., DIMENSIONS OF COPING AND LIFE EVENTS AS PREDICTORS OF DEPRESSION FOLLOWING COGNITIVE THERAPY, Clinical psychology and psychotherapy, 2(1), 1995, pp. 40-46
Thirty-five depressed outpatients who had received cognitive therapy w
ere followed up after a period of between one and four years. The pati
ents completed the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) at the beginning an
d end of treatment. A variety of questionnaries, including the BDI and
questionnaires assessing coping skills, life events and client satisf
action, were given at follow-up in order to investigate predictors of
self-report depression. Multiple regression was used to build a model
of predictors of level of depression at follow-up. The only significan
t predictors of BDI score were the use of specific coping techniques l
earned in therapy, the focus on and venting of emotions, behavioural d
isengagement, and post-treatment BDI score. The use of specific learne
d coping was associated with low self-ratings of depression at follow-
up, whereas the other variables were associated with high follow-up BD
I scores. The implications of these findings for the maintenance of tr
eatment gains were considered.