Problem-solving appraisal and depression: Evidence for a recovery model

The purpose of this study was to examine whether problem-solving appraisal plays a role in recovery from depression in a university population. It was predicted that self-appraised effective problem solvers would be more like ly to recover from a depressive episode than self-appraised ineffective pro blem solvers. Consistent with this hypothesis, there was a significant Time 1 problem-solving appraisal ' Time 1 depression interaction in predicting Time 2 depression scores. More specifically, by Time 2 the self-appraised e ffective problem solvers reported only mild levels of depressive symptoms ( Beck Depression Inventory [BDI] = 12), whereas the self-appraised ineffecti ve problem solvers reported levels of depression that were moderate to seve re (BDI = 20).