Depressogenic cognitive schemas, levels of depression and hopelessness among individuals diagnosed with unipolar mood disorder
- Authors: Du Preez, Shereen
- Date: 2008
- Subjects: Neuropsychiatry , Depression, Mental -- South Africa , Depressed persons -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:9899 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/1074 , Neuropsychiatry , Depression, Mental -- South Africa , Depressed persons -- South Africa
- Description: While mood disorders rank within the top ten disabilities worldwide, there has been limited research done on cognitive schemas and the role they play in the development of mood disorders in South Africa. Cognitive conceptualisations of depression typically emphasize the schema-based automatic processing of information. Beck (1967, 1976 & 1987) suggested that schematically driven automatic thinking is a key element in depressive disorders. Research in the field of depression has identified cognitive schemas as a factor which increases an individual’s diathesis to depression. The primary aim of this research is to explore and describe maladaptive cognitive schemas, hopelessness and levels of depression amongst individuals diagnosed with Unipolar Mood Disorder. A further aim of the research has been to explore the relationship between maladaptive cognitive schemas and hopelessness as a diathesis to depression. In order to achieve the objectives, data was collected from a sample of 50 inpatients diagnosed with Unipolar Mood Disorder. The following measures were used: Young’s Schema Questionnaire, Beck's Depression Inventory – 2nd edition and Beck’s Hopelessness Scale. The research is quantitative in nature and takes the form of an exploratory-descriptive study. Data has been analysed by means of descriptive statistics in order to identify the mean, ranges and standard deviation of the measures used. Cross-tabulations have been used to further explore the relationship between the variables mentioned above. It was found that a statistically significant correlation exists between the BDI, BHS and YSQ. Maladaptive cognitive schemas were found to have a strong positive correlation 4 to depression, whereas hopelessness was found to have a less significant role in Unipolar Mood Disorder. The most significant schemas found in relation to hopelessness, were the Social Isolation, Unrelenting Standards and Pessimism schemas. With regards to depression, the most significant schemas were found to be Mistrust, Practical Incompetence, Vulnerability, Subjugation, Self-Sacrifice, Emotional Inhibition, Unrelenting Standards, Entitlement, Insufficient Self-Control, Admiration, Pessimism and Self-Punitiveness. All the above mentioned variables proved to have a statistically significant relationship. The findings of this research study are for the most part consistent with the literature on depression, hopelessness and cognitive vulnerabilities, and all of the above mentioned concepts have been found to be related.
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- Date Issued: 2008
Exploring and describing depressogenic cognitive schema, levels of depression and hopelessness among depressed and non depressed adults
- Authors: Ahlfeldt, Alan
- Date: 2006
- Subjects: Depression, Mental -- South Africa , Depressed persons -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:9845 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/393 , Depression, Mental -- South Africa , Depressed persons -- South Africa
- Description: The subject of mood disorders and in particular depression is pertinent with rapidly increasing incidences of depression and suicide a widespread phenomenon in the world today. In South Africa, the rates of depression are increasing steadily each year. Much research has been undertaken in the area of depression, with negative cognitive schema identified as a common factor, which increases an individual’s vulnerability or diathesis to depression and hopelessness. The primary aims of this research are to explore and describe the depressogenic cognitive schema of both a depressed as well as normal (nondepressed) individuals and identify the relationship these schema have to levels of depression and hopelessness. In order to achieve these objectives, three measures were administered, the Beck’s Depression Inventory, the Beck’s Hopelessness Scale and the Inferential Style Questionnaire. The research design is quantitative in nature and took the form of an exploratory-descriptive study. The researcher made use of frequency tests to identify frequencies of scores and descriptive statistics to identify the mean, range and standard deviations. T tests, a Pearson product- moment correlation coefficient and factorial analysis of variance (ANOVA) were also employed for statistical analysis within this research study. The findings of this research study identify that the depressed sample scored higher levels of depression, hopelessness and negative inferential style than that of the normal sample.
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- Date Issued: 2006