COGNITIVE DISTORTION IN DEPRESSED ADOLESCENTS

Cognitive theories of the etiology of depression in adulthood have rec eived widespread acceptance. To date there is little evidence of the r ole of cognitive distortion in the etiology of depression among adoles cents. This study was conducted to determine whether or not cognitive disortion differentiates depressed adolescents from non-depressed adol escents. The Dysfunctional Attitude Scale, a measure of cognitive dist ortion, was administered to three groups of adolescents: clinically de pressed; non-depressed with non-psychotic psychiatric disorders; and a non-clinical group of adolescents without psychiatric disorders. A su bset of the depressed patients was re-administered the scale after the y had clinically recovered from the depressive episode. The depressed adolescents had significantly greater cognitive distortion than the no n-depressed adolescents. Remission of the depressive disorder was asso ciated with a significant reduction in cognitive distortion, although the level of cognitive distortion was still significantly higher than normal.