Ad. Simons et al., COGNITION AND LIFE STRESS IN DEPRESSION - COGNITIVE-FACTORS AND THE DEFINITION, RATING, AND GENERATION OF NEGATIVE LIFE EVENTS, Journal of abnormal psychology, 102(4), 1993, pp. 584-591
The relationship between cognitive factors and different conceptualiza
tions and measures, of life stress poses important questions for conte
mporary theories of depression. We examined whether cognitive factors
(dysfunctional attitudes and attributional style) are related to the d
efinition, rating, and generation of negative life events. Life events
were assessed with both subjective self-report and more objective int
erview-based methods in endogenously depressed outpatients. The result
s partially support the hypothesis that cognitive factors are related
to definition and severity ratings of self-report measures of particul
ar types of life events. These relationships held primarily for achiev
ement, as compared with interpersonal, events. The results also suppor
t the hypothesis that elevated scores on measures of cognition are ass
ociated with the number of objectively defined events occurring prior
to the onset of depression, suggesting that some patients may generate
the life events that in turn may initiate a depressive episode.