Date Approved

3-24-2005

Date Posted

11-5-2013

Degree Type

Open Access Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science (MS)

Department or School

Psychology

Committee Member

Carol Freedman-Doan, PhD

Committee Member

Alida Westman, PhD

Committee Member

Michelle Byrd, PhD

Abstract

While there has been valuable research critical for furthering our understanding of how an individual's social network affects recovery from depression, we need to know more about the interplay of other people's attributions and their relationships with depressed individuals that may impact recovery from the disorder. This research investigated causal and controllability attributions that others assign to individuals with depression by distributing a questionnaire to faculty and administrative staff at Eastern Michigan University to obtain ratings of attributions for depression. The level of intimacy within a relationship and the severity of depression were related to others' beliefs about the controllability of depressive symptoms. Exploring these relationships may expand our understanding of how and when specific attributions begin and how they change. This information may be useful in developing treatments for depression that not only help the individual suffering with the disorder but also others around the individual who are affected.

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