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Helplessness, self-efficacy, cognitive distortions, and depression in multiple sclerosis and spinal cord injury

  • Empirical Research
  • Published:
Annals of Behavioral Medicine

Abstract

The aim of this study was to determine if learned helplessness, self-efficacy, and cognitive distortions would predict depression in a sample of 80 individuals with multiple sclerosis (MS) and 80 individuals with a spinal cord injury (SCI). As MS and SCI usually present with disparate disease courses and etiologies, a secondary objective was to determine if individuals with MS would exhibit greater levels of helplessness, cognitive distortions, and depression and lower levels of self-efficacy than those with SCI. Results indicated that helplessness and self-efficacy significantly predicted depression for both the MS and SCI groups after controlling for confounding variables. Cognitive distortions had no independent effect, indicating that cognitive distortions may have caused feelings of helplessness and low self-efficacy and, in this way, had indirect effects on depression. The MS group exhibited significantly greater levels of depression and helplessness and significantly lower levels of self-efficacy than the SCI group. It was hypothesized that it may have been the combination of an unpredictable course of disease activity and the possibility of being affected by MS in many different ways that produced greater feelings of depression, helplessness, and low self-efficacy in the MS group.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Acquired Brain Injury Program, Rehabilitation Institute of Toronto, Room 419, 550 University Avenue, M5G 2A2, Toronto, ON, Canada

    Zachary M. Shnek

  2. Yeshiva University, New York, USA

    Frederick W. Foley

  3. Mount Sinai Medical Center, New York, USA

    Wayne A. Gordon

  4. Kessler Institute for Rehabilitation, Inc., East Orange, USA

    John DeLuca & Harlene G. Schwartzman

  5. Bernard W. Gimbel Multiple Sclerosis Comprehensive Care Center, Holy Name Hospital, Teaneck, USA

    June Halper

  6. Soundview Throgs Neck Community Mental Health Center, Bronx, USA

    Shelley Lennox

  7. The Toronto Hospital, Toronto, Canada

    Jane Irvine

Authors
  1. Zachary M. Shnek
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  2. Frederick W. Foley
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  3. Nicholas G. LaRocca
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  4. Wayne A. Gordon
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  5. John DeLuca
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  6. Harlene G. Schwartzman
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  7. June Halper
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  8. Shelley Lennox
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  9. Jane Irvine
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Additional information

National Multiple Sclerosis Society

We thank all of the individuals with MS and SCI who participated in this study, as well as the attending physicians and staffs of the Multiple Sclerosis Comprehensive Care Center at St. Agnes Hospital, the Bernard W. Gimble Multiple Sclerosis Comprehensive Care Center at Holy Name Hospital, the Mount Sinai Medical Center, and the Kessler Institute for Rehabilitation who graciously provided access to their patients. We also thank Jennifer Lauby, Ph.D., for her helpful comments relating to the statistical procedures used in this study.

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Shnek, Z.M., Foley, F.W., LaRocca, N.G. et al. Helplessness, self-efficacy, cognitive distortions, and depression in multiple sclerosis and spinal cord injury. ann. behav. med. 19, 287–294 (1997). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02892293

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