Publication Date

5-2024

Advisor(s) - Committee Chair

Qin Zhao, Christopher Peters, Michelle Durham

Degree Program

Department of Psychology

Degree Type

Master of Science

Abstract

The current study aimed to adopt an experimental design used by Schroder et al. (2023) to investigate how framing of depression (as a disease vs a functional signal) impacts illness perceptions and coping strategies. Participants were given the Depression Anxiety and Stress Scale (DASS-42) to assess depression severity and prime participants for the framing condition. Each condition had five videos describing depression and the corresponding frameworks. Perceived control, timeline, and causes of depression were measured using the Illness Perception Questionnaire (IPQ-R). Participants were given the brief-COPE questionnaire to measure coping strategies, such as avoidant and problem-focused. There were no differences between the two framing conditions on illness perceptions and coping strategies. Both framing conditions had higher than average perceived controllability and believed in more environmental causes than biological. Both conditions engaged in more problem-focused coping than avoidant coping. Higher levels of depression were linked to more avoidant coping, weaker beliefs about personal control over depressive symptoms, higher beliefs that depression was chronic, and higher beliefs in environmental and biological causes of depression. There were also significant correlations between problem-focused coping and perceived controllability, with individuals engaging in more adaptive coping when they believed they could control their depression.

Disciplines

Clinical Psychology | Cognitive Psychology | Health Psychology | Psychology | Social and Behavioral Sciences

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