INFORMATION-PROCESSING IN RECOVERED DEPRESSED CHILDREN AND ADOLESCENTS

Previous research into subjective probability estimates for negative e vents revealed that depressed children estimated events as equally lik ely to happen to themselves as to other children. In contrast, both co ntrols and anxious children estimated that negative events were more l ikely to happen to others than to themselves. The present study follow ed up this finding by investigating the subjective probability judgeme nts concerning future negative events generated by children and adoles cents who have recovered from depression. Subjects generated probabili ty estimates either for themselves or for other children for a range o f negative events on a visual analogue scale. The results revealed tha t both recovered depressed and matched control groups estimated negati ve events as significantly more likely to happen to others than to the mselves. It was also found that the recovered depressed subjects estim ated that negative events were less likely overall, compared to the co ntrols. These results are discussed in the context of the adult litera ture.