Validity of Beck's Cognitive Theory of Depression With Nonreferred Adolescents

This study investigated the validity of Beck's cognitive theory of depression in a sample of nonreferred adolescents, ages 14 to 18 years. In support of the theory, students' greater levels of depressive symptomatology on the Beck Depression Inventory were found to be most significantly associated with higher scores on both the Dysfunctional Attitude Scale and Hopelessness Scale. The results were less consistent with regard to the relationships between the students' levels of depressive symptomatology and their recall of positive and negative self‐referent adjectives on an incidental recall task. The implications of the study and directions for future research are discussed.