| It is widely accepted that stressful life events play an important role in the onset of depression. Indeed, diathesis-stress models, wherein vulnerabilities lead to disorder only in combination with stressors, are prominent in depression research. However, a problem with diathesis-stress models is that they assume that individuals are passive recipients of stressors. In contrast, transactional models recognize that the person and environment reciprocally affect each other. In particular, Hammen (1991) provided evidence for a transactional process in which depressed individuals reported more self-generated stressors that is, stressors to which the person contributed---especially those involving interpersonal conflict. These stressors, in turn, maintained their depression. However, Hammen (1991) hypothesized that it is not depressed mood, per se, that causes individuals to contribute to the occurrence of stressors. Rather, it was suggested that the personal characteristics, behaviors, and social context of the individuals likely contribute to their tendency to generate stressors. However, few studies have actually examined the factors contributing to stress generation. The present study aimed to fill an important gap in the literature by examining aspects of individuals' interpersonal style and social context which may contribute to generation of conflict stress in their romantic relationships, which in turn may contribute to depressive symptoms. It compared this transactional model with a diathesis-stress model in which interpersonal vulnerabilities predict depressed mood only in combination with higher levels of conflict stressors. These effects were examined both prospectively over a four-week period and cross-sectionally using a 14-day daily diary, in a sample of female college students involved in romantic relationships. Overall, there was strong evidence for the transactional model of vulnerability to depression. Specifically, anxious attachment and relationship quality predicted conflict stress, and in turn depressive symptoms, prospectively over a four-week period, with significant mediation. Similarly, a wide variety of interpersonal behaviors predicted conflict stressors and depressed mood on a daily basis. When all the significant variables were examined simultaneously, some of the interpersonal factors made unique contributions to stress and depression, while others did not. In contrast to the transactional, mediation model, there was little evidence for the alternative diathesis-stress model. The results of the study are interpreted in relation to previous literature, and limitations to the study and directions for future research are discussed. |
