Skip to main content

Advertisement

Log in

Indirect Effects of Attributional Style for Positive Events on Depressive Symptoms Through Self-Esteem During Early Adolescence

  • Empirical Research
  • Published:
Journal of Youth and Adolescence Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Research on adolescent depression has overwhelmingly focused on risk factors, such as stressful negative events and cognitive vulnerabilities, but much important information can be gained by focusing on protective factors. Thus, the current study aimed to broaden understanding on adolescent depression by considering the role of two positive elements as protective factors, attributional style for positive events and self-esteem, in a model of depression. The sample included 491 middle school students (52 % female; n = 249) with an age range from 12 to 15 years (M = 13.2, SD = .70). The sample was ethnically/racially diverse, with 55 % White, 22 % Hispanic, 10 % Asian American, 3 % African American, and 10 % Biracial/Other. Correlational analyses indicated significant cross-sectional and longitudinal associations between an enhancing attributional style (internal, stable, global attributions for positive events), self-esteem and depressive symptoms. Further, prospective analyses using bootstrapping methodology demonstrated significant indirect effects of an enhancing attributional style on decreases in depressive symptoms through its effects on self-esteem. These findings highlight the importance of considering attributional style for positive events as a protective factor in the developmental course of depressive symptoms during early adolescence.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Abela, J. R. Z. (2001). The hopelessness theory of depression: A test of the diathesis–stress and causal mediation components in third and seventh grade children. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 29(3), 241–254.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Abela, J. R. Z., & Payne, A. V. L. (2003). A test of the integration of the hopelessness and self-esteem theories of depression in schoolchildren. Cognitive Therapy and Research, 27(5), 519–535. doi:10.1023/A:1026303020478.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Abramson, L. Y., Seligman, M. E., & Teasdale, J. D. (1978). Learned helplessness in humans: Critique and reformulation. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 87(1), 49–74. doi:10.1037/0021-843X.87.1.49.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • American Psychiatric Association. (2013). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (5th ed.). Washington, DC: Author.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Bandura, A., & McDonald, F. J. (1994). Influence of social reinforcement and the behavior of models in shaping children’s moral judgments. In B. Puka (Ed.), Defining perspectives in moral development (pp. 136–143). New York, NY: Garland Publishing.

    Google Scholar 

  • Baron, R. M., & Kenny, D. A. (1986). The moderator-mediator variable distinction in social psychological research: Conceptual, strategic, and statistical considerations. Journal of Personality & Social Psychology, 51, 1173–1182. doi:10.1037//0022-3514.51.6.1173.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Butler, A. C., Hokanson, J. E., & Flynn, H. A. (1994). A comparison of self-esteem lability and low trait self-esteem as vulnerability factors for depression. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 66(1), 166–177. doi:10.1037/0022-3514.66.1.166.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Cheng, H., & Furnham, A. (2003). Attributional style and self-esteem as predictors of psychological well being. Counselling Psychology Quarterly, 16(2), 121–130. doi:10.1080/0951507031000151516.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cohen, P., Cohen, J., Kasen, S., Velez, C. N., Hartmark, C., Johnson, J., & Streuning, E. L. (1993). An epidemiological study of disorders in late childhood and adolescence—I. Age-and gender-specific prevalence. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 34(6), 851–867.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Cole, D. A., & Maxwell, S. E. (2003). Testing Mediational Models With Longitudinal Data: Questions and Tips in the Use of Structural Equation Modeling. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 112(4), 558–577. doi:10.1037/0021-843X.112.4.558.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • DeVellis, R. F. (2012). Scale development: Theory and applications. Washington, D.C.: Sage Publications.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dimidjian, S., et al. (2006). Randomized trial of behavioral activation, cognitive therapy, and antidepressant medication in the acute treatment of adults with major depression. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 74(4), 658–670. doi:10.1037/0022-006X.74.4.658.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Fresco, D. M., Alloy, L. B., & Reilly-Harrington, N. (2006). Association of attributional style for negative and positive events and the occurrence of life events with depression and anxiety. Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology, 25(10), 1140–1159. doi:10.1521/jscp.2006.25.10.1140.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gladstone, T. R. G., Kaslow, N. J., Seeley, J. R., & Lewinsohn, P. M. (1997). Sex differences, attributional style, and depressive symptoms among adolescents. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 25(4), 297–306. doi:10.1023/A:1025712419436.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Hankin, B. L., & Abramson, L. Y. (2001). Development of gender differences in depression: An elaborated cognitive vulnerability-transactional stress theory. Psychological Bulletin, 127, 773–796.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Hankin, B. L., Abramson, L. Y., Moffitt, T. E., Silva, P. A., McGee, R., & Angell, K. E. (1998). Development of depression from preadolescence to young adulthood: emerging gender differences in a 10-year longitudinal study. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 107(1), 128.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Haugen, R., & Lund, T. (2002). Self-concept, attributional style and depression. Educational Psychology, 22(3), 305–315. doi:10.1080/01443410220138539.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hayes, A. F. (2013). Introduction to mediation, moderation, and conditional process analysis. New York: The Guilford Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hayes, A. F. (2014). Process for SPSS. Retrieved April 15, 2015. http://www.processmacro.org/download.html.

  • Hirschy, A. J., & Morris, J. R. (2002). Individual differences in attributional style: The relational influence of self-efficacy, self-esteem, and sex role identity. Personality and Individual Differences, 32(2), 183–196.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hyde, J. S., Mezulis, A. H., & Abramson, L. Y. (2008). The ABCs of depression: Integrating affective, biological, and cognitive models to explain the emergence of the gender difference in depression. Psychological Review, 115(2), 291–313. doi:10.1037/0033-295X.115.2.291.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Joiner, T. E., & Wagner, K. D. (1995). Attributional style and depression in children and adolescents: A meta analytic review. Clinical Psychology Review, 15, 777–798.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lakdawalla, Z., Hankin, B. L., & Mermelstein, R. (2007). Cognitive theories of depression in children and adolescents: A conceptual and quantitative review. Clinical Child and Family Psychology Review, 10(1), 1–24. doi:10.1007/s10567-006-0013-1.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Lewis, S. P., & Waschbusch, D. A. (2008). Alternative approaches for conceptualizing children’s attributional styles and their associations with depressive symptoms. Depression and Anxiety, 25(9), E37–E46. doi:10.1002/da.20322.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Maxwell, S. E., & Cole, D. A. (2007). Bias in cross-sectional analyses of longitudinal mediation. Psychological Methods, 12(1), 23–44. doi:10.1037/1082-989X.12.1.23.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Merikangas, K. R., He, J., Burstein, M., Swanson, S. A., Avenevoli, S., Cui, L., & Swendsen, J. (2010). Lifetime prevalence of mental disorders in U.S. adolescents: Results from the National Comorbidity Survey Replication-Adolescent Supplement (NCS-A). Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 49(10), 980–989. doi:10.1016/j.jaac.2010.05.017.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Metalsky, G. I., Joiner, T. E., Hardin, T. S., & Abramson, L. Y. (1993). Depressive reactions to failure in a naturalistic setting: A test of the hopelessness and self-esteem theories of depression. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 102(1), 101–109. doi:10.1037/0021-843X.102.1.101.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Needles, D. J., & Abramson, L. Y. (1990). Positive life events, attributional style, and hopefulness: Testing a model of recovery from depression. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 99(2), 156.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Preacher, K. J., & Hayes, A. F. (2004). SPSS and SAS procedures for estimating indirect effects in simple mediation models. Behavior Research Methods, Instruments, & Computers, 36(4), 717–731. doi:10.3758/BF03206553.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ritschel, L. A., Ramirez, C. L., Cooley, J. L., & Craighead, W. E. (2016). Behavioral activation for major depression in adolescents: Results from a pilot study. Clinical Psychology: Science and Practice, 23(1), 39–57.

    Google Scholar 

  • Robinson, N. S., Garber, J., & Hilsman, R. (1995). Cognitions and stress: Direct and moderating effects on depressive versus externalizing symptoms during the junior high school transition. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 104(3), 453–463. doi:10.1037/0021-843X.104.3.453.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Rosenberg, M. (1989). Society and the adolescent self-image (Revised ed.). Middletown, CT: Wesleyan University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rosenberg, M., Schooler, C., Schoenbach, C., & Rosenberg, F. (1995). Global self-esteem and specific self-esteem: Different concepts, different outcomes. American Sociological Review, 60(1), 141–156. doi:10.2307/2096350.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rueger, S. Y., Haines, B. A., & Malecki, C. K. (2010). Children’s attributional style from middle childhood to early adolescence: Further validation of the paper-and-pencil versions of the Children’s Attributional Style Interview. Assessment, 17(3), 294–307. doi:10.1177/1073191109356528.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Rueger, S. Y., & Malecki, C. K. (2011). Effects of stress, attributional style, and perceived parental support on depressive symptoms in early adolescence: A prospective analysis. Journal of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology, 40, 347–359. doi:10.1080/15374416.2011.563461.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Southall, D., & Roberts, J. E. (2002). Attributional style and self-esteem in vulnerability to adolescent depressive symptoms following life stress: A 14-week prospective study. Cognitive Therapy and Research, 26(5), 563–579. doi:10.1023/A:1020457508320.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. (2014). Survey on drug use and health: Mental health findings. NSDUH Series H-49, HHS Publication No. (SMA) 14-4887. Rockville, MD.

  • Tennen, H., & Herzberger, S. (1987). Depression, self-esteem, and the absence of self-protective attributional biases. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 52(1), 72.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Thapar, A., Collishaw, S., Pine, D. S., & Thapar, A. K. (2012). Depression in adolescence. The Lancet, 379(9820), 1056–1067.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Thompson, M., Kaslow, N. J., Weiss, B., & Nolen-Hoeksema, S. (1998). Children’s Attributional Style Questionnaire—Revised: Psychometric examination. Psychological Assessment, 10(2), 166–170. doi:10.1037/1040-3590.10.2.166.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Vines, L., & Nixon, R. D. V. (2009). Positive attributional style, life events and their effect on children’s mood: Prospective study. Australian Journal of Psychology, 61(4), 211–219. doi:10.1080/00049530802579507.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Voelz, Z. R., Haeffel, G. J., Joiner, T. E, Jr., & Dineen Wagner, K. (2003). Reducing hopelessness: The interation of enhancing and depressogenic attributional styles for positive and negative life events among youth psychiatric inpatients. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 41(10), 1183–1198. doi:10.1016/S0005-7967(03)00030-5.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Weissman, M. M., Orvaschel, H., & Padian, N. (1980). Children’s symptom and social functioning self-report scales: Comparison of mothers’ and children’s reports. The Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease, 168(12), 736–740.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Wong, P. T., & Weiner, B. (1981). When people ask “why” questions, and the heuristics of attributional search. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 40(4), 650–663. doi:10.1037/0022-3514.40.4.650.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zautra, A. J., Guenther, R. T., & Chartier, G. M. (1985). Attributions for real and hypothetical events: Their relation to self-esteem and depression. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 94(4), 530.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

This manuscript is based on the dissertation of the second author under the mentorship of the first author. We would like to thank and acknowledge the contributions and thoughtful feedback of Kelly S. Flanagan, Ph.D., and Cynthia Neal Kimball, Ph.D., as readers on Dr. George’s dissertation projects. We would also like to thank the students and staff at this middle school for their participation.

Author Contributions

S.R. conceived of the study, collected the data, participated in its design and coordination, assisted with the statistical analysis, and revised the original dissertation into a manuscript. R.G. conducted the literature review, participated in the design, analysis and interpretation of the data, and drafted portions of the manuscript. Both authors read and approved the final manuscript.

Conflict of interest

The authors report no conflict of interests.

Ethical Approval

This original data collection was approved by the Institutional Review Board at Northern Illinois University (NIU), and the current study was performed in accordance with the ethical standards of NIU and Wheaton College.

Informed Consent

The current study utilized extant data that were originally collected using active informed consent procedures (parental permission and student assent).

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Sandra Yu Rueger.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Rueger, S.Y., George, R. Indirect Effects of Attributional Style for Positive Events on Depressive Symptoms Through Self-Esteem During Early Adolescence. J Youth Adolescence 46, 701–708 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10964-016-0530-2

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10964-016-0530-2

Keywords

Navigation