Intimacy in relationships and cognitive vulnerability to depression in adolescent girls

By applying principles of developmental psychopathology, it was proposed th at low intimacy in adolescent girls' developmentally salient relationships, i.e., with best friends and romantic partners, is associated with cognitiv e vulnerability to depression. At Time 1, 72 late adolescent girls complete d the Network of Relationships Inventory (Furman & Buhrmester, 1992) to ass ess intimacy in relationships with best friends, romantic partners, mothers , and fathers. At Time 2, the adolescents participated in a negative mood i nduction. The adolescents completed the Dysfunctional Attitude Scale (Weism an & Beck, 1978) before and after the mood induction. The results indicated that little to no intimacy in romantic relationships was associated with c ognitive reactivity in a negative mood. Little to no intimacy in relationsh ips with best friends mothers, and fathers was not associated with cognitiv e reactivity. Romantic relationships appear to play a key role in adolescen t girls' well-being in late adolescence, and low intimacy in these relation ships is associated with latent, negative cognitions.