Abstract
This study investigated the interpersonal model of depression, originally formulated by Coyne, which proposes that depressed persons elicit more social rejection than nondepressed persons. The differential response hypothesis, that depressed males elicit more social rejection than depressed females, was also evaluated. Males and females each engaged in a brief interaction with an unacquainted individual who was either male or female and either dysphoric or nondysphoric. Support for Coyne's model was stronger with males than females. Males, but not females, rejected dysphoric targets more than nondysphoric targets. This finding was qualified, however, because only the male subjects rated dysphoric targets as engaging in more depressive behavior than nondysphoric targets. Although interacting with a dysphoric target did not induce more negative moods in subjects, dysphoric targets were rated as having a more negative interpersonal impact than nondysphoric targets. The differential response hypothesis was not supported. Gender of dysphoric target had no influence on any of the measures. Findings are discussed with respect to gender-related differences in interpersonal behavior and in sensitivity to depression.
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The research reported in this article was conducted as part of a doctoral dissertation by the first author, under the supervision of the second author, at the Department of Psychology, University of New Brunswick, Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada. The research was supported, in part, by a Dissertation Research Award (1990) from the American Psychological Association to Josephine C. H. Tan and by a grant (410-89-1333) from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada to Janet M. Stoppard.
The authors wish to express their thanks to Carla Gunn Gruchy, Karen Hutton, Peggy Norris, and Philomena Wadden for their assistance in data collection and analysis and to David A. Clark for his helpful comments on an earlier draft of this article.
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Tan, J.C.H., Stoppard, J.M. Gender and reactions to dysphoric individuals. Cogn Ther Res 18, 211–224 (1994). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02357776
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02357776