Hopelessness predicts future depressive symptoms: A prospective analysis of cognitive vulnerability and cognitive content specificity

Abstract

Beck's content specificity hypothesis predicts distinct cognitive content within specific psychological disorders. We evaluated whether the third component of the "cognitive triad", negative view of the future (hopelessness), would be related 4 weeks later to depressive symptoms, but not to anxiety. University student participants (83 females, 71 males) were tested on the Beck Depression Inventory and the Beck Anxiety Inventory at two points in time, separated by 4 weeks. The Hopelessness Scale was administered at time 1 and a Life Events Inventory at time 2. Concurrent cognitive content specificity was replicated. For males only, hopelessness predicted future depression severity scores, but not anxiety. Hopelessness predicted depressive symptoms over and above life event stressors, but not vice versa.