Depressogenic attributional style: evidence of trait-like nature in youth psychiatric inpatients

The hopelessness theory of depression (1989) proposes that a negative style of thinking, termed "depressogenic attributional style", is a stable vulnerability factor for depression. Much past research has examined the stability of this negative style of thinking, with mixed results. The present study presents data supporting the "trait-like" nature of depressogenic attributional style, as defined by hopelessness theory, in a sample of 100 psychiatric child and adolescent inpatients by examining patterns in attributional style and depressive symptomatology upon admission to the hospital and again at discharge.