A comparison of cognitive and interpersonal-process group therapies in the treatment of depression among college students.

We compared cognitive (CT) and interpersonal-process (IP) group therapies in the treatment of moderate, unipolar depression i college counseling-center clients. Subjects who sought services early in the semester were randomly assigned to CT or IP groups and compared with a waiting-list group composed of subjects who requested services just prior to the Christmas recess. Multivariate analyses revealed no significant differences between treatment nd waiting-list conditions. Because th control was confounded by the Christmas holiday, we compared the CT and IP groups directly. Both treatments led to significant reductions in depression and depressed thinking and to increments in self-esteem atmidtreatment, posttreatment, and follow-up assess-ments but did not differ from each other at any point in time. There was no evidence of differential effectiveness or mechanisms oftherapeutic change as a function of typeof treatment. Depression is the common cold of mental health because of its high incidence in all segments of the population (Bellack, Hersen, & Himmelhock, 1981). Depression is particularly prevalent among college students with 17 % to 24 % of students