Aurora SZENTAGOTAI,
Babeş-Bolyai University, Cluj-Napoca, Romania
Arthur FREEMAN
Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine, USA
The Freeman Institute of Cognitive Therapy and Center for Brief Therapy, USA
Abstract
The present study examined the relationship between irrational beliefs and automatic thoughts in predicting distress (i.e., depressed mood in patients with major depressive disorder). Although both constructs have been hypothesized and found to predict emotional reactions in stressful situations, the relationships between these two types of cognitions in predicting distress has not been sufficiently addressed in empirical studies. Our results show that both irrational beliefs and automatic thoughts are related to distress (i.e., depression/depressed mood), and that the effects of irrational beliefs on distress are partially mediated by automatic thoughts.
Key words: irrational beliefs, automatic thoughts, distress, depression/depressed mood.
Pages: 1-9
