USING SELF-REPORT DATA TO DIFFERENTIATE ANXIOUS AND DEPRESSIVE SYMPTOMS IN ADOLESCENTS - COGNITIVE CONTENT SPECIFICITY AND GLOBAL DISTRESS

This investigation contrasted the cognitive content or cognitions of 1 62 inpatient adolescents (M = 14.6, SD = 1.6) in an effort to differen tiate noncognitive anxiety and depressive symptoms. A principal-factor s analysis with promax rotation of the Cognition Checklist (Beck, Brow n, Steer, Eidelson, & Riskind, 1987) revealed that anxiety and depress ive cognitions consisted of three factors, consistent with the tripart ite theory of internalizing affect (Clark & Watson, 1991): specific an xiety cognitions, specific depressive cognitions, and general cognitio ns (overlapping depressive and anxious cognitions). Self-reported nonc ognitive depressive symptoms were significantly predicted by specific depressive cognitions and general cognitions; specific anxiety cogniti ons did not significantly predict depressive symptoms. Self-reported n oncognitive anxiety symptoms were significantly predicted by specific anxiety cognitions and general cognitions, but were not predicted by s pecific depressive cognitions. Results were interpreted in light of th e cognitive content-specificity hypothesis (Beck, 1976) and the tripar tite model of internalizing symptoms.