The conceptualization of the positive cognitive triad and associations with depressive symptoms in adolescents.

Depressive symptoms during adolescence have been found to be associated with negative outcomes such as decreased academic performance, absenteeism, substance abuse, and poor physical health. The positive cognitive triad has been considered to be a protective factor against adolescent depressive symptoms. The positive cognitive triad is made up of three subfactors of cognitions, specifically, positive cognitions about the self, the world, and the future. This dissertation examined the various conceptualizations of the positive cognitive triad and their relation to depressive symptoms. These conceptualizations included considering the positive cognitive triad as a single overall protective factor (additive model), as multiple possible protective factors made up of the subfactors of the positive cognitive triad (independent factor model), and as considering the most positive subfactor as the most meaningful protective factor (strongest link model). Two samples were used in order to replicate and provide evidence for the validity of findings. Two samples (n1 = 2982; n2 = 2540) of Australian adolescents completed the Positive Cognitive Triad Inventory and the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale. Structural equation modeling was used to estimate models representing the multiple conceptualizations of the positive cognitive triad and their relation to depressive symptoms. Percentage of variance explained in depressive symptoms as well as model fit statistics were examined to determine the best conceptualization of the positive cognitive triad in its protection against depressive symptoms. Evidence pointed to the higher-order additive model and independent factor model as the best fitting models to the data and explaining the most variance in depressive symptoms. In the independent factor model, only positive cognitions about the self were significantly related to depressive symptoms. These findings support the notion that the positive cognitive triad is a protective factor for depressive symptoms, and more specifically, the role of positive cognitions about the self in the protection against depressive symptoms. After future studies examining the directionality of the relation between positive cognitions about the self and depressive symptoms, mental health providers using cognitive behavioral approaches may consider examining positive cognitions as a protective factor for their clients

Teaching Behavior Questionnaire : verifying factor structure and investigating depressive symptoms in Catholic middle and high schools.

Teaching behavior impacts student psychopathology. This study explored the associations between teaching behavior types and depressive symptoms in students. The Teaching Behavior Questionnaire (TBQ) and the Center for Epidemiological Studies – Depression Scale (CES-D) were completed by 763 middle and 976 high school students from private Catholic schools. In the middle school sample, a confirmatory factor analysis confirmed the four-factor structure of the TBQ previously found in public high schools. As predicted, a two-level hierarchical linear model (HLM) analysis with the high school sample found that only the Negative Teaching Behavior scale of the TBQ was positively related to CES-D scores, (p \u3c .05). A separate two-level HLM analysis with middle school students found the Instructional Behavior scale was negatively related to CES-D scores (p \u3c .05) and the Organizational Behavior scale was positively related to the CES-D scores (p \u3c .01). Implications of the findings for school personnel are discussed

“Epic-Genetics”: An exploration of preservice helping professionals’ (mis)understanding of epigenetic influences on human development

Mental health researchers emphasize the importance of practitioner understanding of biology-environment interplay. Accordingly, our goal of the study described in this article was to understand students’ preconceptions and misconceptions about biological and environmental influences on development through investigating their conceptions of epigenetics. Using a short-term longitudinal design, we explored preservice helping professionals’ conceptions and misconceptions pertaining to epigenetics within the framework of a graduate level human development course. Baseline knowledge about epigenetics was low. Students developed multiple misconceptions about epigenetics and how the phenomenon relates to biological and environmental influences on human development. Students reported feeling highly efficacious for detecting and resolving misconceptions related to biology-environment interactions but varied in their perceptions of interest for learning about the content. Findings support the use of open-ended questions to detect misconceptions about epigenetics and are discussed in light of how to teach students about this phenomenon. Overall, this research speaks to the importance of understanding the misconceptions students believe and instructional strategies that may assist in correcting them

Inferential Style, School Teachers, and Depressive Symptoms in College Students

Depressive symptoms affect around half of students at some point during college. According to the hopelessness theory of depression, making negative inferences about stressful events is a vulnerability for developing depression. Negative and socioemotional teaching behavior can be stressors that are associated with depression in school students. First-time college freshmen completed the Cognitive Style Questionnaire (CSQ), Teaching Behavior Questionnaire (TBQ), and Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale (CES-D). While completing the TBQ, participants reported on a teacher from prior education to college. Multiple regression analysis found significant effects of the independent variables (four teaching behavior types, inferential style, and interactions between the four teaching behavior types and inferential style) on the dependent variable (depressive symptoms). More specifically, negative and socio-emotional teaching behavior were positively associated with depressive symptoms and instructional and organizational teaching behavior were negatively associated with depressive symptoms. Both organizational and negative teaching behavior interacted significantly with inferential style. Organizational and negative teaching behavior shared different relationships with depressive symptoms depending upon an individual‟s level of inferential style. Promotion of instructional and organizational teaching behavior in school as well as the reduction of negative teaching behavior may be useful in reducing students‟ depressive symptoms

The Conceptualization of the Positive Cognitive Triad and Associations with Depressive Symptoms in Adolescents

The positive cognitive triad (positive cognitions about the self, world, and future) has been considered a protective factor against depressive symptoms. This study examines three conceptualizations of the positive cognitive triad and their relation to depressive symptoms. Analyses were replicated in two samples in order to provide evidence for the validity of findings. Two samples (n = 2982, M = 13.04, Range = 11–15\ua0years; n = 2540, M = 13.11, Range = 11–16\ua0years) of Australian adolescents completed the Positive Cognitive Triad Inventory and Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale. Findings supported the notion that the overall positive cognitive triad is a protective factor for depressive symptoms, and specifically, the role of positive cognitions about the self in this protection. After future studies examine the directionality of the relation between positive cognitions and depressive symptoms, mental health providers using cognitive behavioral approaches may consider examining positive cognitions with patients