Journal of American College Health

You might also like

Download as pdf or txt
Download as pdf or txt
You are on page 1of 9

This article was downloaded by: [University of North Texas]

On: 11 November 2014, At: 05:23


Publisher: Routledge
Informa Ltd Registered in England and Wales Registered Number: 1072954 Registered office: Mortimer House,
37-41 Mortimer Street, London W1T 3JH, UK

Journal of American College Health


Publication details, including instructions for authors and subscription information:
http://www.tandfonline.com/loi/vach20

Preventing Depression in High-Risk College Women: A


Report of an 18-month Follow-up
Ann R. Peden ARNP-CS, DSN , Mary Kay Rayens PhD , Lynne A. Hall DrPH & Lora H. Beebe PhD
Published online: 24 Mar 2010.

To cite this article: Ann R. Peden ARNP-CS, DSN , Mary Kay Rayens PhD , Lynne A. Hall DrPH & Lora H. Beebe PhD (2001)
Preventing Depression in High-Risk College Women: A Report of an 18-month Follow-up, Journal of American College Health,
49:6, 299-306, DOI: 10.1080/07448480109596316

To link to this article: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/07448480109596316

PLEASE SCROLL DOWN FOR ARTICLE

Taylor & Francis makes every effort to ensure the accuracy of all the information (the “Content”) contained
in the publications on our platform. However, Taylor & Francis, our agents, and our licensors make no
representations or warranties whatsoever as to the accuracy, completeness, or suitability for any purpose of the
Content. Any opinions and views expressed in this publication are the opinions and views of the authors, and
are not the views of or endorsed by Taylor & Francis. The accuracy of the Content should not be relied upon and
should be independently verified with primary sources of information. Taylor and Francis shall not be liable for
any losses, actions, claims, proceedings, demands, costs, expenses, damages, and other liabilities whatsoever
or howsoever caused arising directly or indirectly in connection with, in relation to or arising out of the use of the
Content.

This article may be used for research, teaching, and private study purposes. Any substantial or systematic
reproduction, redistribution, reselling, loan, sub-licensing, systematic supply, or distribution in any
form to anyone is expressly forbidden. Terms & Conditions of access and use can be found at http://
www.tandfonline.com/page/terms-and-conditions
JOURNAL OF AMERICAN COLLEGE HEALTH, VOL. 49, NO. 6

Preventing Depression in High-Risk


College Women: A Report
of an 18-month Follow-up

Ann R. Peden, ARNP-CS, DSN; Mary Kay Rayens, PhD;


Lynne A. Hall, DrPH; and Lora H. Beebe, PhD
Downloaded by [University of North Texas] at 05:23 11 November 2014

Abstract. The authors tested the long-term effectivenessof a cog- college women at risk for clinical depression. Depression in
nitive-behavioral group intervention in reducing depressive symp- college women affects academic performance, school satis-
toms, decreasing negative thinking, and enhancing self-esteem in faction, and social relationships.! It may result in cognitive,
92 college women aged 18 to 24 years who ere at risk for clinical
depression. The women were randomly assigned to either an social, and functional impairment.2 Left untreated, depres-
experimental or a no-treatment control group. The experimental sion may result in suicide, although even treated patients
group participated in a 6-week cognitive-behavioral intervention sometimes choose to end their lives.
that targeted identification and reduction of negative thinking, Stress and depression are increasing among college stu-
using such techniques as thought stopping and affirmations. Data dents3 Sax4 surveyed college freshmen and found that
on depressive symptoms, self-esteem, and negative thinking were
collected before the intervention and at intervals of I , 6, and 18 9.7% experienced frequent depression; only 48% of the
months postintervention. The women in the intervention group women, compared with 59.3% of the men, were confident
experienced a greater decrease in depressive symptoms and nega- in their emotional health. Reed et a15 found that 58% of
tive thinking and a greater increase in self-esteem than those in the their sample of African American college women had a
control group. The beneficial effects continued over an 18-month high rate of depressive symptoms, with 12% to 18% expe-
follow-up period. These findings support the importance of
thought stopping and affirmationsas prevention interventions with riencing severe symptoms. Beeber6 and Peden et a17-R
at-risk college women. reported mild-to-severe depressive symptoms in more than
Key Words: college women, depression, negative thinking, self- one third of the college women in their samples. In the
esteem 1995 National College Health Risk Behavior S ~ r v e y , ~
10.3% of the students reported serious thoughts of suicide,
6.7% had made plans for suicide, and 1.5% said they had

W e designed this study to test the long-term effec- attempted suicide. The findings in these studies suggest the
tiveness of a cognitive-behavioral group inter- need for prevention interventions to reduce risks for depres-
vention in reducing depressive symptoms,. -
sion among college students.
decreasing negative thinking, and enhancing self-esteem in In women, low and negative thinking”.”
have been identified as predictors for the later development
of depression. Negative thinking, a common, debilitating
symptom of d e p r e ~ s i o n , dominates
’~ the individual’s per-
Ann R. Peden is an associate professor; College of Nursing at
ceptions and maintains depressed moods. Low self-
the University of Kentucky, Laington, where Mary Kay Rayens is
a research assistant professor; College of Nursing and Department esteem is a risk factor for developing depression, whereas
of Preventive Medicine and Environmental Health und School of high self-esteem protects women from d e p r e ~ s i 0 n . lIn~
Public Health, College of Medicine, and associate director; biosta- young college women, a lack of social support, low self-
tistics consulting unit, Chandler Medical Center: and Lynne A. esteem, and negative life events have been shown to be
Hall is professor and assistant deanfor research and doctoral stud- associated with depressive symptom^.^^'* These findings
ies, College of Nursinx and professor; Department of Behavioral
Science and School of Public Health, College of Medicine. b r a H. suggest the important role that negative thinking and low
Beebe is an assistant pmfessor; College qf Nursing, Univer.sity of self-esteem may play in the development of depressive
Florida, Gainesville. symptoms in college students.

299
PEDEN ET AL

Many investigators have documented the effectiveness of beneficial effects would be maintained 18 months after the
cognitive-behavioral interventions in various populations. intervention.
In his seminal work, developed cognitive-behav-
ioral strategies to identify negative thoughts and replace METHOD
them with more accurate, helpful views, and Gordon and Design and Sample
Ledrayzl tested a cognitive-behavioral group intervention
with mildly depressed women and found that the interven- We conducted a randomized, controlled prevention trial
tion was effective in reducing depressive symptoms. May- to test the long-term effectiveness of an intervention
nard2’ compared the use of Gordon’s2’ structured cognitive designed to reduce negative thinking, decrease depressive
group intervention with a support-group-only approach and symptoms, and increase self-esteem among 18-to-24-year
found that the intervention was more effective than the sup- old college women who were at risk for clinical depression.
port group only. Peterson and HalsteadZ4tested a cognitive- To test our hypotheses, we used a repeated-measures
behavioral group intervention that focused on skills to design. In addition to collecting baseline data on the out-
reduce depressive symptoms; 84% of their participants come variables, we also collected data I , 2, and 18 months
reported a decrease in depressive symptoms. In a pilot test postintervention. The inclusion criteria were (a) no prior
of a group intervention designed to reduce negative think- treatment for psychiatric illness and no previous psychiatric
ing and enhance positive thinking in clinically depressed care; (b) never on antidepressants; (c) never diagnosed with
women, Peden” found that negative thinking and depres- clinical depression; (d) not suicidal, indicated by Beck
sive symptoms declined in the intervention group. Depression Inventory rating on question 9; (e) single or
Downloaded by [University of North Texas] at 05:23 11 November 2014

Cognitive-behavioral interventions that target negative never married; (f)no dependent children; and (g) a full-time
thinking and depressive symptoms are effective in prevent- student.
ing the onset of clinical depression in adolescent^.^^^^^ We studied a volunteer sample of 246 women from the
Clarke et 29 used a focused intervention for high school student population of the University of Kentucky, a public
students at risk for unipolar depression; at 12-month follow- institution serving 22,192 students in a metropolitan a r e a x
up, findings from the intervention group revealed the sig- They were recruited through an announcement in the stu-
nificant advantages of the intervention. Peden et alx tested dent newspaper, fliers posted in women’s dormitories and
the cognitive-behavioral intervention used in the present restrooms across campus, and fliers sent to the presidents
study and found that it decreased depressive symptoms and of sororities. Of the 461 women who responded, 100 did
negative thinking and increased self-esteem at 1-month and not meet the inclusion criteria and 115 declined to partici-
6-month postintervention follow-ups in 18-to-24-year-old pate.
college women. Undergraduate students who practiced pos- For the remaining 246 women, we collected baseline data
itive self-statements three times a day for 2 weeks reported on negative thinking, self-esteem, and depressive symp-
an increase in self-esteem and a decrease in depressive toms, as well as sociodemographic characteristics.’ We
symptoms.”) This article reports on a follow-up of these administered the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI)33 and
women 18 months after the intervention.8 the Center for Epidemiologic Studies-Depression Scale
A moderate level of depressive symptoms has been (CES-D)34to identify those with high levels of depressive
linked to later development of major d e p r e s ~ i o n . ~ Reduc-
~.” symptoms. The BDI and CES-D are not measures of clini-
ing subdiagnostic levels of depressive symptoms may cal depression; however, they do assess subdiagnostic levels
reduce the risk of developing clinical depression in the of depressive symptom^.^^,^^ A score of 9 or above on the
future.2h Munoz et al’? recommended randomized con- BDI or a score of 16 or above on the CES-D indicate a mild-
trolled trials in euthymic and at-risk samples to determine to-moderate level of depressive symptoms (ie, at risk for
whether depression can be prevented by teaching people to development of clinical depression). Of the 246 women
manage their own moods, and Hoilon et all2 suggested who completed the baseline data collection, 92 had elevat-
adapting cognitive therapy for use with euthymic popula- ed BDI a n d o r CES-D scores and agreed to participate in
tions to prevent depression in people at risk for depression. the intervention phase of the study. As they were enrolled,
Although cognitive-behavioral interventions have been the women with high scores on the BDI or CES-D were ran-
quite successful in treating depression, few studies have domly assigned to control or experimental groups in blocks
focused on reducing negative thinking through group inter- of 16 (8 each, control and experimental), resulting in five
vention as a means of preventing clinical depression. In our blocks with 16 women and one block with 12.
present study, we tested the long-term effectiveness of a Baseline sociodemographic data on the participants are
cognitive-behavioral group intervention that specifically described in a previously published article.’ The mean age
focused on reducing negative thinking and increasing posi- of the 92 in the intervention portion was 19.3 years (SD=
tive self-talk and affirmations.x Our hypotheses were that 1.4), 45% were employed, 26% were sorority members,
(a) compared with women in a no-treatment control group, 46% were satisfied with their living arrangements, and the
women who received the intervention would demonstrate a women’s median monthly income was $200. Eight percent
greater increase in self-esteem and a greater decrease in of the participants reported major health problems, such as
negative thinking and depressive symptoms; and (b) these migraine headaches, epilepsy, asthma, and allergies. Forty-

300 JOURNAL OF AMERICAN COLLEGE HEALTH


DEPRESSION IN COLLEGE WOMEN

nine percent of the women used prescription medication- col. It evolved from a series of studies in which women
primarily for birth control, allergies, and acne. recovering from depression identified negative thinking as
the depressive symptom most difficult to o ~ e r c o m e . ’The
~.~~
Depressive Symptoms women in the earlier studies described strategies they used
The BDI” is a 21-item tool designed to assess affective, to manage negative thinking. Thought stopping and positive
behavioral, cognitive, motivational, and vegetative aspects self-talk were the key approaches they used to reduce nega-
of depression. Each item consists of 4 statements, scored tive thinking. The Depression WorkboopP’provided infor-
from no symproms (0) to severe distress (3). The partici- mation on thought stopping, affirmations, and distorted
pants rated each item in terms of how they had felt in the thinking styles. We adapted affirmations and direct actions
past week. We summed item ratings to get a cumulative from the Insight23program.
score. The higher the score, the greater the depressive Group sessions allow contact with peers with similar
symptoms. Beck recommended a cutoff score of 9 or above problems, reduce isolation, promote change, and are cost-
as indicative of at least mild depressive symptoms.3sM The effective.2’ Because of these advantages, we offered the
BDI has been used extensively and has excellent psycho- intervention in six 1 -hour small-group sessions. To ensure
metric proper tie^.^^.^^ Cronbach’s alphas ranged from .88 to consistency in implementing the intervention, we developed
.92 across the four data collection points in this study. a script for each session and gave each participant a folder
The CES-D34 measures “the presence of dysphoria and containing handouts on the weekly topics and homework
somatic complaints that are often accompanied by associat- assignments. Table 1 provides a more complete description
ed features of depression, but do not necessarily meet the of the intervention.
Downloaded by [University of North Texas] at 05:23 11 November 2014

criteria for the clinical syndrome of depressi~n.’’~~@‘~~~) A The first session focused on understanding the effect that
20-item scale, it contains items relating to depressed mood thinking has on mood. Each woman received an outline of
and psychophysiologic indicators of depression. Respon- the 6-week group intervention. We also gave the partici-
dents indicate how often they experienced each symptom pants weekly homework assignments that included practic-
during the past week, using a scale from rarely or none of ing the skills and techniques they learned in the group ses-
the time (0) to most or all ofthe time (3). The ratings of the sions. Cognitive distortions (eg, mind reading, generali-
4 positive items are reversed and added to those of the other zation, all-or-nothing thinking, etc) were introduced to the
16 items, forming a summary score ranging from 0 to 60. A participants and discussed each week.
score of 16 or above indicates a high level of depressive At the second session, the participants were taught to use
symptom^.'^ Both the reliability and validity of the CES-D the STOP technique,a were introduced to affirmations, and
have been supported in a number of studies. Cronbach’s made their first tape recording, using the STOP technique
alphas in this study ranged from .82 to .93. and affirmations. During the third session, we introduced a
relaxation technique incorporating affirmations, and at the
NegativeThinking fourth session, participants wrote and recorded their own
We used the 45-item Crandell Cognitions Inventory affirmations.
(CCI)3xto measure negative thinking. The CCI was devel- Identifying triggers to depressive symptoms and strate-
oped with depressed and nondepressed psychiatric patients. gies to combat them was the focus of the fifth session. The
The respondents rate each negative self-statement for fre- final session was a review of previous content. We encour-
quency of occurrence, ranging from almost never (1) to aged group members to continue using the skills they had
altnosr always (5). Higher scores indicate greater frequency developed over the 6-week intervention.
of negative thinking. Crandell and ChambledO reported a
Cronbach’s alpha of .95 in a volunteer sample of depressed, Procedure
psychiatric, and normal persons. Cronbach’s alphas in our The study received approval from the university’s institu-
sample ranged from .95 to .97. tional review board and the women gave their informed con-
sent to participate. We used self-report data on depressive
Self-esteem symptoms, negative thinking, and self-esteem collected
To measure self-worthkelf-acceptance, we used the 10- from the control and experimental groups at baseline (ie,
item Rosenberg Self-esteem Scale (RSE).4’ The women before the intervention), 1 month after the intervention, and
rated each item on a scale ranging from stronglv disagree (1) at 6-month and I 8-month follow-ups. Participants were paid
to strongly agree (4). The higher the score, the higher the $10 for each interview and group session they attended.
self-esteem. This measure has been used extensively in pre-
vious research and has excellent psychometric properties. In Data Analysis
this sample, Cronbach’s alphas ranged from .90 to .91. For each outcome variable (BDI, CES-D, CCI, and RSE),
we considered a separate repeated measures ANCOVA,
The Intervention using the baseline value as a covariate. We used Fisher’s
The 6-week cognitive-behavioral group intervention least significant difference procedure to make post hoc
emphasized reducing negative thinking in depressed comparisons. For the dichotomous versions of the BDI and
women and was implemented using a standardized proto- the CES-D, we used the Cochran-Mantel-Haenszel chi-
VOL 49, MAY 2001 301
PEDEN ET AL

TABLE 1
A 6-Week Group Intervention for Reducing Negative Thinking

Focus Content Homework

Week 1 Overview of group Read thought distortions handout


Getting acquainted Group rules Begin to identify how your thinking
Understanding the effect thinking has What you think affects how you feel: affects your feelings and behavior
on mood An overview
Week 2 Discussion of thought distortions Listen to STOP tape twice a day, use
Using a cognitive-behavioraltechnique Affirmations STOP without tape throughout day
to manage negative thinking Teach and practice STOP technique Work with one affirmation
(‘STOP’) Use affirmation with STOP technique
Week 3 Discuss thought distortions Continue using STOP
Using relaxation and affirmations Select new affirmations; write and record Do relaxation exercise each day
Practice relaxation exercise using Listen to taped affirmations twice a day
affirmations Look at written affirmations as needed
Week 4 Discuss how to write own affirmations Use STOP as needed
Creating your own affirmations Write and record own affirmations. Write Listen to tape affirmations twice a day
Downloaded by [University of North Texas] at 05:23 11 November 2014

affirmations on cards, post-its Do relaxation exercise


Discuss thought distortions
Week 5 Identifying behaviors that foster Use STOP as needed
Changing behavior depression Listen to taped affirmations twice a day
Strategies to fight depression Do relaxation exercise
Week 6 Review various approaches to manage
Review of all techniques, wrap-up negative thoughts
Decide which are most helpful

square test45-46to determine whether the percentage of the experimental group participants had fewer depressive
women with elevated scores (BDI 2 9; CES-D 2 16) dif- symptoms across all time points than the control group did,
fered by group membership, controlling for the factor of F ( 1 , 73) = 1 0 . 4 ; <
~ .002 (see Figure 1).
time. To limit Type 1 error, we set the alpha level for all The mean BDI score of the experimental group, adjusted
hypothesis testing at .O 1. Some attrition occurred over the for baseline BDI scores, was 7.1, compared with 1 1.5 for
course of the study; therefore only 42 of the women-21 the control group over all postintervention time points. The
(46%) women in both the experimental and control groups percentages of women reporting at least mild depressive
- c o m p l e t e d all three postintervention surveys. However, symptoms (BDI 2 9) at each of the four time points are
the analysis strategies we selected for hypothesis testing shown in Figure 2. Although the groups were similar at
allowed us to use data from all 92 women. baseline, we found significant group differences postinter-
vention (Cochran-Mantel-Haenszel x2, = 13.9, p I.001).
RESULTS The experimental group demonstrated a more striking
At the outset of the study, the control ( n = 46) and exper- decline in the prevalence of high BDI scores across time
imental ( n = 46) groups did not differ on employment sta- than the control group did.
tus, age, income, sorority membership, satisfaction with liv-
ing arrangements and school or number of self-reported Center for Epidemiologic Studies-
major health problems. In addition, we found no differences Depression Scale
between the groups at baseline on either measure of depres- As was true with the BDI, only the main effect of group
sion, negative thinking, or self-esteem. Those women who was significant. When we controlled for baseline CES-D
were lost to follow-up ( n = 50) did not differ from those scores, the experimental group had lower depressive symp-
who completed all four points of data collection (n = 42) on tom scores than the control group across the 18-month fol-
group assignment (ie, intervention vs control), or baseline low-up, F( 1, 73) = 7.4, p I.008 (see Figure 3). Even after
scores on depressive symptoms (CES-D and BDI), negative adjusting for CES-D scores at baseline, we found the mean
thinking (CCI), and self-esteem (SE). CES-D score of the experimental group was 1 1.6 compared
with 16.5 for the control group across all postintervention
BDI time points. See Figure 4 for the percentages of women in
The main effect of group was significant, whereas the each group reporting a high level of depressive symptoms
main effect of time and the Group x Time interaction effects (CES-D 2 16) over the course of the study.
were not significant. Over the 18-month follow-up period, Although the groups were similar at baseline, the per-

302 JOURNAL OF AMERICAN COLLEGE HEALTH


DEPRESSION IN COLLEGE WOMEN

FIGURE 1
Mean Postintervention Scores on the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) of Experimental
and Control Groups in a Study of College Women at Risk for Depression

Baseline 1 month 6 months 18 months


Downloaded by [University of North Texas] at 05:23 11 November 2014

Experimental (n = 46) Control ( n = 46)

FIGURE 2
Prevalence of Beck Depression Scores 2 9 at Each Postintervention Point in a
Study of College Women at Risk for Depression

50
40
30
20
10

Baseline I month 6 months 18 months

Experimental (n = 46) Control (n = 46)

centage of women with high depressive symptoms differed striking at the I-month follow-up (25% vs 58%). Even at
between the two groups over time (Cochran-Mantel-Haen- 18-months postintervention, the percentage of women in
szelx12 = 26.4, p I .001). In a comparison with the experi- the experimental group with high depressive symptoms was
mental group, we found a greater proportion of the women approximately half that of the control group (15% vs 29%).
in the control group had a high level of depressive symp-
toms across all postintervention follow-ups. At baseline, Crandall Cognitions Inventory
89% of the experimental participants had high CES-D The main effects of group and time were significant, but
scores, compared with 96% of the controls. The difference the interaction between group and time was not. Adjusting
between experimental and control groups became more for baseline CCI scores, the mean score for the experimen-
VOL 49, MAY 2001 303
PEDEN ET AL

FIGURE 3
Mean CES-D Scores of Experimental and Control Groups Over 18 Months in a
Study of College Women at Risk for Depression

3 0 4

25

20

15

10

0
Baseline 1 month 6 months 18 months
Downloaded by [University of North Texas] at 05:23 11 November 2014

Experimental ( n = 46) Control ( n = 46)

Note. CES-D = Center for Epidemiologic Studies-Depression.

FIGURE 4
Prevalence of CES-D Symptoms 1 16 of Experimental and Control Groups at Each
Time Point in a Study of College Women at Risk for Depression

100
90
80
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
Baseline 1 month 6 months 18 months

Experimental (n = 46) Control ( n = 46)

tal group over the 18-month follow-up period of 61.9 was 18-month follow-up, t(98) = 3. I , p 5 .003. The 1 -month, 6-
significantly lower than the adjusted mean score of 72.5 for month, and 18-month adjusted mean CCI scores were 7 1.7,
the control group, F( 1, 72) = 6.2, p 2.01. For experimental 68.6, and 6 1.2, respectively. However, only the women’s 1-
and control groups combined, we also found a significant month and 18-month mean scores differed significantly.
decline over time, controlling for baseline level of negative
thinking, F(2,9) = 4.7, p 5 .O I . The post hoc analysis of this Rosenberg Self-esteem Scale
significant main effect revealed that the mean adjusted CCI The main effect of group was significant for self-esteem.
score for all women, both experimental and control groups The experimental group had a significantly higher self-
combined, declined significantly from the 1-month to the esteem score ( M = 30.4) than the control group ( M = 27.1 )

304 JOURNAL OF AMERICAN COLLEGE HEALTH


DEPRESSION IN COLLEGE WOMEN

across time, after controlling for baseline self-esteem, gle university campus. Replication of the study by investiga-
F( 1, 73) = 6.5, p < .01. The main effect of time and the tors on other campuses, using the same intervention protocol
Group x Time interaction were not significant. with different samples of college women, is warranted
Both control and experimental groups showed a decline
COMMENT in depressive symptoms and negative thinking, and their
No matter which measure of depressive symptoms we self-esteem improved. The decrease in isolation and
used, the results were the same: Depressive symptoms increased sense of belonging experienced by all research
remained lower in the experimental group than in the con- participants may be attributed to the Hawthorne effect. Both
trol group from the 1-month through the 18-month follow- social isolation and low sense of belonging are common
up. The intervention decreased the prevalence of a high experiences of depressed women.47 The interest in the
level of depressive symptoms, and this effect persisted 18 young women’s lives and the positive attention all partici-
months after the intervention. For the symptom of negative pants received also may have been beneficial. The depres-
thinking, the intervention was beneficial, as shown by the sive symptom measures do not assess clinical depression,
significantly lower negative-thinking scores of the experi- but they do identify subdiagnostic levels that may lead to
mental group over the 18-month follow-up period. In addi- later development of depression in at-risk individuals.26
tion, negative thinking declined significantly for both con- Depression is a costly public health problem that may go
trol and experimental women from 1 to 18 months. The undetected in college women. To combat this problem, col-
intervention also had a positive effect on self-esteem. lege health surveys must include more questions about
In this study, we followed the recommendations of depressive symptoms for early identification of those at
Downloaded by [University of North Texas] at 05:23 11 November 2014

Munoz et a132and Hollon et all2 to use prevention interven- risk. Prevention efforts. along with early detection and treat-
tions that teach at-risk individuals to manage their own ment, may improve the mental health, academic perfor-
moods. College women are one group at risk for depression. mance, and social well-being of college students. Interven-
Cognitive-behavioral interventions such as thought stop- tions that focus on the reduction of negative thinking and
ping and affirmations focus on managing mood. Our find- the enhancement of self-esteem may be one key to the pre-
ings provide support for the effectiveness of these strategies vention of clinical depression in college women.
in managing mood and preventing depression. In this study,
the combination of techniques we used was effective in ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
reducing depressive symptoms and negative thinking and in This research was funded by Grant #R15 NR04203 awarded to
improving self-esteem. Periodic booster sessions may be Drs Peden, Hall, and Rayens from the National Institute of Nurs-
ing Research, National Institutes of Health. The authors wish to
needed to maintain the beneficial effects of the intervention. express their appreciation to Carol Donnelly for editorial assis-
The study adds to the limited body of literature on college tance and to Libby Moss for preparing the manuscript.
women’s mental health. A growing number of studies iden-
tify depression in this group as a significant problem.’.I8 NOTE
Cost-effective, easy-to-implement interventions, such as the For further information, please address communications to Dr
ones we used in this study, can be offered in university Ann R. Peden, College of Nursing, University of Kentucky, Lex-
health settings and college counseling centers; they are ington, KY 40536-0232 (e-mail: arpedeOl @pop.uky.edu).
essential for improving the mental health of young women.
REFERENCES
Although no special training is required to implement the
intervention, leaders need to be comfortable in facilitating 1. Heiligenstein E, Guenther G, Hsu K, Herman K. Depres-
sion and academic impairent in college students. J Am Coll
psychoeducational groups and familiar with the symptoms Health. 1996;45:59-64.
and behaviors of depressed women. This intervention, 2. Hays RD, Wells KB, Sherbourne CD, Rogers W, Spritzer
offered over a 6-week period, was shorter than most cogni- K. Functioning and well-being outcomes of patients with depres-
tive-behavioral group interventions; however, it was effec- sion compared with chronic general medical illnesses. Arch Gen
tive, and its effectiveness was maintained over the 18-month Rsychiatry. 1995:52:11-19.
3. Astin AW. What Matters in College:) Four Critical Years
postintervention follow-up. College students have busy Revisited. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass; 1993.
schedules and many work full or part time. They may be 4. Sax LJ. Health trends among college freshmen. J Am Coll
able to commit to a 6-week group but not to a lengthy inter- Health. 1997:45:257-262.
vention. Interventions designed to fit their busy schedules 5 Reed MK, McLeod S, Randall Y, Walker B. Depressive
may be more appealing, and shorter group interventions are symptoms in African American Women. Journal of Multicultural
Counseling & Development. 1996;24:&14.
also more cost effective.
6. Beeber LS. Social support, self-esteem, and depressive
Limitations of the study include attrition and the potential symptoms in young American women. Image J Nurs Sch. 1998;
of the Hawthorne effect. Only 46% of the participants com- 30:91-92.
pleted all three post-intervention surveys. However, given 7. Peden AR, Hall LA, Rayens MK, Beebe LL. Negative
the transient nature of college students’ lives, this level of thinking mediates the effect of self-esteem on depressive symp-
toms in college women. Nursing Research. 20OO:49:20l-207.
attrition was not surprising. All women in the study also
8. Peden AR, Hall LA, Rayens MK, Beebe LL. Reducing neg-
seemed to experience beneficial effects from their participa- ative thinking and depressive symptoms in college women. Jour-
tion. In addition, we focused on a small sample from a sin- nal ofNursing Schnlarship (formerly Image). 2000:32: 145-1 5 I .

VOL 49, MAY 2001 305


PEDEN ET AL

9. Douglas KA, Collins JL, Warren C, et al. Results from the 32. Munoz RF, Hollon SD, McGrath E, Rehm LP, VandenBos
1995 National College Risks Survey. J Am Coll Health. 1997; GR. On the AHCPR Depression in Primary Care Guidelines: Fur-
4655-66, ther considerations for practitioners. Am Psychol. 1994;49:42-6 l .
10. Brown GW, Andrews B, Harris TO, Adler Z, Bride L. 33. Beck AT, Ward CH, Mendelson M, Mock J, Erbaugh J. An
Social support, self-esteem, and depression. Psycho1 Med. inventory for measuring depression. Arch Gen Psychiatry 1961;4:
1986;161813-83 I . 56 1-57 1 .
11. Ingham JG, Kreitman NB, Miller PM, Sashidham SP, Sur- 34. Radloff LS. The CES-D Scale: A self-report depression
tees PG. Self-appraisal, anxiety, and depression in women: A scale for research in the general population. Applied Psychologi-
prospective inquiry. J Behav Med. 19874: 1-39. cal Measurement. 1977;1:385401.
12. Hollon S, DeRubeis R, Seligman M. Cognitive therapy and 35. Berkman LS, Berkman CS, Kasl S, et al. Depressive symp-
the prevention of depression. Applied & Preventive Psychology. toms in relation to physical health and functioning in the elderly.
1992;1:89-95. Am Journal of Epidemiol. 1986;124:372-388.
13. Seligman MEP. Learned Optimism. New York: Alfred 36. Kendall PC, Hollon SD, Beck AT, Hammer CL, Ingram
Knopf; 1991. RE. Issues and recommendations regarding use of the Beck
14. Peden AR. Recovering in depressed women: Research with Depression Inventory. Cognitive Therapy Research. 1987;1 1 :
Peplau's theory. Nursing Science Quarterly. 1993;6:14G146. 289-299.
15. Peden AR. Negative thoughts of depressed women. Journal 37. Beck AT. Depression: Courses and Treatments. Philadel-
of the American Psvchiatric Nurses Association. 2000;6:41-48. phia: University of Pennsylvania Press; 1978.
16. Teasdale JD, Taylor R, Fogarty S. Effects of induced ela- 38. Hollon SD, Kendall PC, Lumry A. Specificity of depresso-
tion-depression on the accessibility of memories of happy and typic cognitions in clinical depression. J Abnorm Psychol. 1986;
unhappy experiences. Behav Res Thec 1980;18:339-346. 95152-59.
17. Woods NF, Lentz M, Mitchell E, Oakley LD. Depressed 39. Comstock GW, Helsing KJ. Symptoms of depression in
Downloaded by [University of North Texas] at 05:23 11 November 2014

mood and self-esteem in young Asian, Black, and White women in two communities. Psychol Med. 1976;6:551-563.
America. Health Care of Women International. 1994;15:243-262. 40. Crandell CJ, Chambless DL. The validation of an invento-
18. Beeber LS. Testing an explanatory model of the develop- ry for measuring depressive thoughts: The Crandell Cognitions
ment of depressive symptoms in young women during a life tran- Inventory. Behav Res Thec 1986;24:403-41 1.
sition. J Am Co11 Health. 1999;47:227-234. 41. Rosenberg M. Society and the Adolescent Self-image.
I9 Beck AT. Depression: Clinical Experimental and Theoreti- Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press; 1965.
cal Aspects. New York: Harper Row; 1967. 42. Peden AR. Recovering from depression: A one-year fol-
20. Lustman PJ, Grifith LS, Freedland RE, Kissel SS, Clouse low-up. Journal of Psychiatric Mental Health Numing. 1996;3:
RE. Cognitive behavior therapy for depression in type 2 diabetes 289-295.
mellitus: A randomized, controlled clinical trial. Ann Intern Med. 43. Copeland ME. The Depression Workbook. Oakland, CA:
1998;129:613-621. New Harbinger; 1992.
2 1. Gordon VC, Ledray L. Group-support intervention for the 44. Meichenbaum D. Cognitive-Behavior Modification: An
treatment of depression in women of middle years. Wesr J Nurs Integrative Approach. New York: Plenum Press; 1977.
Res. 1986;8:263-283. 45. Cochran WG. Some methods of strengthening the common
22. Maynard C. Comparison of effectiveness of group inter- 2 tests. Biotnetrics. 1954;I0:4 1 7 4 51.
ventions for depressed women. Arch Psychiatr Nurs. 1993;7: 46. Mantel N, Haenszel W. Statistical aspects of the analysis of
277-283. data from retrospective studies of disease. J Nut1 Cancer Inst.
23. Gordon VC, Tobin M. Insight: A Cognitive Enhancement 1959;22:719-748.
Program .for Women. (Available from Verona Gordon, University 47. Hagerty BM, Williams RA. The effects of sense of belong-
of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN); 1991. ing, social support, conflict, and loneliness on depression. Nurs
24. Peterson AL, Halstead TS. Group cognitive behavior thera- Rex 1999;48:215-219.
py for depression in a community setting: A clinical replication
series. Behavioral Therapy. 1998;29:3-18.
25. Peden AR. The evolution of an intervention-The use of
Peplau's process of practice-based theory development. Journal cf
Psychiatric & Mental Health Nursing. I998;5: 173-1 78.
26. Lewinsohn PM, Clarke GN, Hops H, Andrews JA. Cogni-
tive-behavioral treatment for depressed adolescents. Behavioral
Advertise in the
Therapy. 1990;21:385401. Journal of American
27. Lewinsohn PM, Roberts RE, Seeley JR, Rohde P, Gotlib
IH, Hops H. Adolescent psychopathology: 11. Psychosocial risk
factors for depression. J Ahnorm Psychol. l994;103:302-3 15.
28. Clarke GN, Hawkins W, Murphy M, Sheeber LB, Lewin-
sohn PM, Seeley JR. Targeted prevention of unipolar depressive
disorder in an at-risk sample of high school adolescents: A ran-
domized trial of a group cognitive intervention. J Am Acad Child
Adolesc Psychiatry. 1995;34:312-321.
29. Philpot VD, Bamburg JW. Rehearsal of positive self-state- For more information, please contact
ments and restructured negative self-statements to increase self-
esteem and decrease depression. Psychol Rep. 1996;79:83-91. Mary E. Ealley
30. Roberts RE. Epidemiological issues in measuring preven- Advertking Sahs Representative
tive effects. In: Munoz RF, ed. Depression Prevention: Research
Directions. New York: Hemisphere; 1987:45-68. Phone: (561) 434-7003
31. Wells KB, Burnam A, Hays RD, Camp P. The course of e-mail: maryealley@aol.com
depression in adult outpatients. Arch Gen Psychiatry. 1992;49:
788-794.

306 JOURNAL OF AMERICAN COLLEGE HEALTH

You might also like