Attributional style, outcome expectancies, depression, and self-esteem : toward a comprehensive theory of cognition-based depression

Abstract

This study used structural modelling equations to examine the relations among attributional style, outcome expectancies, depression, and self-esteem in an undergraduate student population at Saint Mary's University (n = 195). Consistent with the theory of Carver and Scheier (1981) and Abramson, Seligman, and Teasdale (1978), the present results show that attributional style for positive and negative life events had a direct influence on a person's outcome expectancies, which in turn, directly influenced a person's level of depression and self-esteem. In contrast to these theories, ancillary data indicated that a negative attributional style had a direct influence on depression and that a positive attributional style directly influenced self-esteem. Depression also had a direct influence on self-esteem. These findings are discussed in light of their clinical implications and relevance to future research.