Dysfunctional Attitudes and Early Maladaptive Schemas as Predictors of Depression: A 9-Year Follow-Up Study

The Dysfunctional Attitude Scale (DAS) and the Young Schema Questionnaire (YSQ) have been suggested as vulnerability markers for depression and entrenched psychological disorders, respectively. One-hundred-and-fifteen clinically depressed (CDs), previously depressed (PDs), and never depressed individuals completed the DAS, the YSQ, and the Beck Depression Inventory in the index study, and were followed up 9 years later in relation to diagnostic status, depression severity and course of depression. From multiple regression analyses YSQ domain scales emerged as significant predictors of concurrent depression severity in the index study, and depression severity and episodes of Major Depression, 9 years later. A majority of CDs and PDs experienced a recurrent depression over 9 years. The findings indicate that YSQ scales are promising as vulnerability markers for depression and underscore a conceptualisation of depression as a serious disorder due to its highly recurrent course, and highlight the necessity to identify and tackle long-term vulnerability factors.