Harbingers of depressotypic reassurance seeking: Negative life events, increased anxiety, and decreased self-esteem

No previous study has examined the initial stages of the depressive interpe rsonal spiral described by Coyne. The authors' purpose was to elucidate pre dictions regarding the formative stages of the spiral and to put them to em pirical test in a prospective study of college undergraduates (N = 177). Th e authors Predicted and found that (a) negative life events predicted incre ases in anxiety, decreases in self-esteem, and increases in reassurance-see king; (b) negative life events predicted changes in reassurance seeking via their influence on anxiety and self-esteem; and (c) this mediational role was relatively specific to anxiety and self-esteem and did not apply to dep ression. Understanding the groundwork of the depressive interpersonal spira l may point to its prevention.