The relationship between suicidal phenomena and depression, dysfunctional attitudes, irrational beliefs, and hopelessness

The study of depression and suicidal phenomena among adolescents has lagged behind that of adults. Very few studies have examined attitudes and beliefs of relevance to cognitive therapy among suicidal adolescents. In this study 40 incarcerated juvenile females were administered the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), the Dysfunctional Attitude Scale (DAS), the Irrational Beliefs Test (IBT), and the Hopelessness Scale (HS). A stepwise discriminant analysis identified seven variables which significantly differentiated the suicidal from the nonsuicidal group. These variables were number of previous attempts, the HS, DAS, subscales 4, 5, and 8 of the IBT (Frustration reactive, emotional irresponsibility, and dependency, respectively), and the subject's living situation prior to incarceration i.e., with both natural parents, in an institution and so on. A further analysis of IBT subscale scores revealed that subscales 8 (Dependency) and 5 (Emotional irresponsibility) of the IBT contributed most to the discriminant function. Implications for future research are discussed.

Name thesis:degree_name

Master of Arts (MA)

Level thesis:degree_level

Thesis

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Psychology

Grantor dc:publisher

University of Nevada, Las Vegas

Year

1989

Author dc:creator

• Erickson, Shonna L

Contributors dc:contributor

• Terry Knapp

Statement dc:rights

• IN COPYRIGHT. For more information about this rights statement, please visit http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/

Language dc:language

English

Identifier

https://oasis.library.unlv.edu/rtds/39

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:oasis.library.unlv.edu:rtds-1038