HOPELESSNESS THEORY OF DEPRESSION - TESTS OF THE SYMPTOM COMPONENT

This study used a short-term prospective design in an unselected sampl e of undergraduates to test five hypotheses derived from the symptom c omponent of the hopelessness theory of depression (Abramson, Meta[sky, & Alloy 1989). In congruence with hopelessness theory, hopelessness w as uniquely associated both concurrently and prospectively with sympto ms of depression but nor anxiety. The hypothesized hopelessness depres sion symptoms correlated with one another more highly than they correl ated with other depressive symptoms nor hypothesized to be part of hop elessness depression or with symptoms of other psychopathology. Hopele ssness predicted prospectively four of the eight symptoms hypothesized to be part of the hopelessness depression symptom profile and showed a trend (p < .05) to predict an additional two hopelessness depression symptoms. Hopelessness did nor predict any nonhopelessness depression symptoms or any symptoms of anxiety disorders (somatic anxiety, phobi as, obsessions/compulsions). In addition, the attributional diathesis- stress interaction featured in the theory predicted hopelessness depre ssion symptoms prospectively and specifically, and was mediated by hop elessness. However; at odds with the theory, hopelessness failed to pr edict two of the symptoms (sadness, low energy) hypothesized to be par t of hopelessness depression anal it did predict some symptoms of othe r psychopathology, primarily psychoticism, and, marginally, hostility and paranoia.