The Development of Cognitive Vulnerability to Hopelessness Depression

Abstract

While several studies have supported the hopelessness theory’s claim that depressogenic inferential styles serve as vulnerability factors to depression, little research has examined how these styles develop. The current study examined three theories of their development in children between the ages of 7 and 13. Results supported two of these theories, indicating that children with pessimistic inferential styles report experiencing higher levels of specific negative life events than children without these styles. Furthermore, parents of children with a depressogenic inferential style about consequences provided more pessimistic feedback about the consequences of negative events in their child’s life than parents of children without this style. Results suggest that different pathways lead to the development of the three pessimistic inferential styles.