A severe test of interpersonal theory of depression among criminal defendants
- Authors
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David Lane Brown
University of Texas Medical Branch At Galveston
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Alan R. Felthous
University of Texas Medical Branch At Galveston
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Ernest P. Barratt
University of Texas Medical Branch At Galveston
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Laurie A. Brown
University of Houston at Clear Lake
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- Keywords:
- Coyne’s interpersonal theory of depression
- Abstract
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We tested Coyne’s (1976) interpersonal theory of depression using a highly specialized psychiatric sample (76 criminal defendants referred for psychiatric evaluation). We assessed whether mood-disordered participants scored lower on an index of social contact than nondepressed participants. Consistent with interpersonal theory, depressed participants obtained lower scores on the social contact measure than nondepressed participants – to our knowledge, the first results to support the diagnostic specificity component of Coyne’s theory among a clinical sample. Number of comorbid diagnoses was not significantly related to social contact. It appears that Coyne’s theory possesses explanatory power, even when subjected to a relatively severe empirical test.
- References
- Downloads
- Published
- 1998-02-01
- Issue
- Volume 26, 1998, Issue 1
- Section
- Articles
- License
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