Decision-making styles and depressive symptomatology: Development of the Decision Styles Questionnaire

Difficulty making decisions is one of the symptoms of the depressive illness. Previous research suggests that depressed individuals may make decisions that differ from those made by the non-depressed, and that they use sub-optimal decision-making strategies. For this study we constructed an instrume...

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Main Authors: Yan Leykin, Robert J. DeRubeis
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Cambridge University Press 2010-12-01
Series:Judgment and Decision Making
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.cambridge.org/core/product/identifier/S1930297500001674/type/journal_article
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author Yan Leykin
Robert J. DeRubeis
author_facet Yan Leykin
Robert J. DeRubeis
author_sort Yan Leykin
collection DOAJ
description Difficulty making decisions is one of the symptoms of the depressive illness. Previous research suggests that depressed individuals may make decisions that differ from those made by the non-depressed, and that they use sub-optimal decision-making strategies. For this study we constructed an instrument that aims to measure a variety of decision-making styles as well as the respondent’s view of him or herself as a decision-maker (decisional self-esteem). These styles and estimates of decisional self-esteem were then related to depressive symptoms. Depressive symptomatology correlated negatively with perception of self as a decision-maker. Those with higher depression severity scores characterized themselves as being more anxious about decisions, and more likely to procrastinate. They also reported using fewer productive decision-making strategies, depending more on other people for help with decisions, and relying less on their own intuitions when making decisions. Further research is needed to determine the extent to which these decision-making styles are antecedents to depressive symptomatology or are instead products of, or aspects of, the phenomenology associated with depression.
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spelling doaj.art-abfe850f199b40bf8c110be290f110752023-09-03T09:46:14ZengCambridge University PressJudgment and Decision Making1930-29752010-12-01550651510.1017/S1930297500001674Decision-making styles and depressive symptomatology: Development of the Decision Styles QuestionnaireYan Leykin0Robert J. DeRubeis1University of California, San FranciscoUniversity of PennsylvaniaDifficulty making decisions is one of the symptoms of the depressive illness. Previous research suggests that depressed individuals may make decisions that differ from those made by the non-depressed, and that they use sub-optimal decision-making strategies. For this study we constructed an instrument that aims to measure a variety of decision-making styles as well as the respondent’s view of him or herself as a decision-maker (decisional self-esteem). These styles and estimates of decisional self-esteem were then related to depressive symptoms. Depressive symptomatology correlated negatively with perception of self as a decision-maker. Those with higher depression severity scores characterized themselves as being more anxious about decisions, and more likely to procrastinate. They also reported using fewer productive decision-making strategies, depending more on other people for help with decisions, and relying less on their own intuitions when making decisions. Further research is needed to determine the extent to which these decision-making styles are antecedents to depressive symptomatology or are instead products of, or aspects of, the phenomenology associated with depression.https://www.cambridge.org/core/product/identifier/S1930297500001674/type/journal_articledepressiondecision makingdepressivedecision-makingdecisional self-esteem
spellingShingle Yan Leykin
Robert J. DeRubeis
Decision-making styles and depressive symptomatology: Development of the Decision Styles Questionnaire
Judgment and Decision Making
depression
decision making
depressive
decision-making
decisional self-esteem
title Decision-making styles and depressive symptomatology: Development of the Decision Styles Questionnaire
title_full Decision-making styles and depressive symptomatology: Development of the Decision Styles Questionnaire
title_fullStr Decision-making styles and depressive symptomatology: Development of the Decision Styles Questionnaire
title_full_unstemmed Decision-making styles and depressive symptomatology: Development of the Decision Styles Questionnaire
title_short Decision-making styles and depressive symptomatology: Development of the Decision Styles Questionnaire
title_sort decision making styles and depressive symptomatology development of the decision styles questionnaire
topic depression
decision making
depressive
decision-making
decisional self-esteem
url https://www.cambridge.org/core/product/identifier/S1930297500001674/type/journal_article
work_keys_str_mv AT yanleykin decisionmakingstylesanddepressivesymptomatologydevelopmentofthedecisionstylesquestionnaire
AT robertjderubeis decisionmakingstylesanddepressivesymptomatologydevelopmentofthedecisionstylesquestionnaire