International Journal of Education and Psychological Research

(Print and Online Peer Reviewed Journal)


Print - ISSN: 2349 - 0853
e - ISSN: 2279 - 0179

VOLUME 3 - ISSUE 3

(September 2014)

Construct Validity of the EDS with Depression


Authors: [1] Katrina M Travers [2] Peter A Creed [3] Shirley Morrissey

Pages: 1-8

Abstract:

The Attributional Style Questionnaire [1] is a widely used scale that measures explanatory style when investigating the construct validity of the Reformulated Learned Helplessness Theory [2]. Despite its wide use, it has never been demonstrated to have satisfactory reliability or validity [3]. To address this, Travers, Creed, and Morrissey [4] successfully developed a more internally reliable and structurally valid measure of explanatory style, called the Explanatory Dimensions Scale (EDS), which achieved partial construct validity with the GHQ-12. It was recommended by Travers et al. that the construct validity of the EDS needs to be further investigated against established variables, including depression. Thus, we set out to investigate the construct validity of the EDS with depression in the community (termed depressive symptomatology), measured using the DASS and CES-D. Using two population samples, the structural validity of the EDS was again demonstrated, and the EDS retained improved alpha coefficients for all dimensions. Further, the EDS globality scale significantly but weakly predicted depressive symptomatology (5-6% of the variance) only when other known predictors of depressive symptomatology (nonproductive coping, self-esteem, anxiety, and stress) were absent. Finally, we demonstrated that low self-esteem, anxiety and stress significantly mediated the relationship between globality and depressive symptomatology, and stress also moderated this relationship. Further recommendations and implications were discussed.