Jessica S. Brown

A test of the tripartite model's prediction of anhedonia's specificity to depression: patients with major depression versus patients with schizophrenia.

The tripartite model of depression and anxiety suggests that anhedonia represents a relatively specific marker of depression. A strong version of this view is that anhedonic symptoms would particularly characterize depressed patients, even when compared to another diagnostic group-schizophrenic patients-for whom anhedonic symptoms represent a well-studied feature. This prediction was tested among 102 VA psychiatric inpatients (95 men), ages 21-72 (M=43.56; S.D.=8.47), all of whom received diagnoses of either major depression (n=50) or schizophrenia (n=52) based on structured diagnostic interviews. As predicted, patients with major depression scored significantly higher on the anhedonic symptoms scale of the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) than did patients with schizophrenia. However, there was no difference between the two groups on the BDI total score or the BDI non-anhedonic symptoms score. Consistent with the tripartite model, anhedonic symptoms were more related to depressive vs. schizophrenic diagnostic status, whereas non-anhedonic depressive symptoms were not. Within the studys limitations, results were interpreted as relatively strong support for the validity and extension of the tripartite model.

The Interpersonal, Cognitive, and Social Nature of Depression

Contents: T.E. Joiner, J. Kistner, J.S. Brown, Preface. J. Kistner, Childrens Peer Acceptance, Perceived Acceptance, and Risk for Depression. J. Davila, S.J. Steinberg, Depression and Romantic Dysfunction During Adolescence. P.M. Lewinsohn, P. Rohde, J.R. Seeley, D.N. Kline, I.H. Gotlib, The Psychosocial Consequences of Adolescent Major Depressive Disorder on Young Adults. C. Hammen, Interpersonal Vulnerability and Depression in Young Women. L.Y. Abramson, L.B. Alloy, Cognitive Vulnerability to Depression: Current Status and Developmental Origins. W.P. Sacco, C.A. Vaughan, Depression and the Response of Others: A Social-Cognitive Interpersonal Process Model. S.D. Hollon, Cognitive Therapy in the Treatment and Prevention of Depression. S.L. Johnson, R. Winters, B. Meyer, A Polarity-Specific Model of Bipolar Disorder. T.E. Joiner, J. Kistner, J.S. Brown, Epilogue.

Does Time Between Application and Case Assignment Predict Therapy Attendance or Premature Termination in Outpatients

This study assessed whether timeliness of case assignment predicted 2 types of patient termination: nonattendance to therapy before intake but after completing the application process and premature termination once therapy had begun. The patients in this study represented all adults applying to an outpatient clinic for therapeutic services over a 5-year period (N 313, 142 male). Results indicated that the timeliness of case assignment was a significant predictor of whether a patient attended intake, with those enduring a longer delay in case assignment more likely to not pursue therapeutic services. Timeliness of case assignment was not related to premature termination from therapy. Potential moderators, including patient ethnicity, gender, age, personality disorder diagnosis, and symptom severity, did not affect the relationship between the variables of interest.

Examination of Racial Differences on the MMPI-2 Clinical and Restructured Clinical Scales in an Outpatient Sample

The current study examined the possibility of differential predictive accuracy of selected Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory—Second Edition (MMPI-2) clinical and Restructured Clinical (RC) scales in a group of Black and White mental health center clients. Results indicate that Black clients scored higher than White clients on one non-K-corrected clinical scale and 4 RC scales. All these differences produced medium effect sizes and were clinically significant according to Greenes (1987) criterion. These differences, however, were not accompanied by differential predictive accuracy of the scales in Black versus White clients. Although additional research is needed, especially on the RC scales, this study indicates that the MMPI-2 is not a biased predictor of symptomatology for Black versus White test takers.

A comparison of therapy alone versus therapy and medication in a community clinic

Research to date suggests that the best treatment for many mental disorders is provided through the combination of medications and psychotherapy (e.g., Hollon, Thase, & Markowitz, 2002). However, the majority of studies supporting this point have been done utilizing highly restricted, controlled samples that may not accurately reflect the way mental illness is treated in the community. The present study attempted to replicate those findings in an outpatient community clinic. One hundred seventy-four adult clients who presented to a community clinic were rated as to their illness severity at both intake and termination of therapy using the Clinical Global Impression Scale and the Global Assessment of Functioning. These clients were divided into groups based on whether or not they took psychotropic medications at any point during therapy. Results showed that clients who took medications fared no better than clients who did not. These preliminary findings suggest that the combination of medications and psychotherapy may not be as effective in the “real world” as prior studies have implied, and point to the need for further research utilizing community samples.

Attributional style, hope, and initial response to selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors youth psychiatric inpatients

We investigated the role of attributional style in inpatients’ initial response to treatment, particularly to SSRIs, and explored possible psychological factors implicated in response to SSRIs. One hundred youth psychiatric inpatients completed questionnaires at admission and discharge on attributional style, hopelessness, self-esteem, and depressive symptoms; medication status was recorded. Change in depressive symptoms from admission to discharge varied depending on negative attributional style status and treatment group status. Patients with a relatively positive attributional style and who were on SSRI medicines experienced the largest decreases in depression from admission to discharge, as well as the lowest absolute depression level at discharge. Depression changes were less pronounced in other patients, including those on SSRIs with a negative attributional style. Psychological processes corresponding to these changes appeared to involve increased hope, not enhanced self-esteem. Attributional style may moderate initial SSRI treatment response, an effect that appears to correspond with increased hope.