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Dysfunctional attitudes and the cognitive therapy for depression

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Abstract

Nineteen depressed community volunteers received a replication of the cognitive therapy group treatment used by Shaw (1977). Two groups were created based upon a median split of pretreatment scores on the Dysfunctional Attitude Scale (Weissman & Beck, Note 1). The Beck Depression Inventory, Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression, Hopelessness Scale, and Social Adjustment Scale were administered prior to and following a 4-week treatment and following a 4-week follow-up. Subjects with higher initial levels of dysfunctional attitudes evidenced a poorer response to the treatment than their attitudinally more functional counterparts. This result was robust and held over a residual gain scoring procedure. Results lend support to the hypothesis that dysfunctional attitude level acts as a general psychopathological indicator.

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Reference Notes

  • Weissman, A., & Beck, A. T.Development and validation of the Dysfunctional Attitude Scale. Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the Association for the Advancement of Behavior Therapy, Chicago, 1978.

  • Silver, R. J., Isaacs, K., Sufrin, E., Mansky, P., & Carotenuto, R.Cognitive structure in deparession. Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the Association for the Advancement of Behavior Therapy, Toronto, November 1980.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. ED 220, State University of New York at Albany, 1400 Washington Avenue, 12222, Albany, New York, USA

    Kevin E. Keller

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  1. Kevin E. Keller
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Appreciation is expressed to R. Eric Nelson for his contribution as a member of the investigator's dissertation committee, to Brian Shaw for his treatment outline, to Richard Haase for his statistical assistance, and to Richard Heimberg for comments on an earlier draft.

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Keller, K.E. Dysfunctional attitudes and the cognitive therapy for depression. Cogn Ther Res 7, 437–444 (1983). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01187171

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01187171

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