Effects of induced mood on self-reported life events and perceived and received social support.

Abstract

This study tested the relation between mood (depressed [D], elated [E], or neutral [N]), induced by the Velten (1968) procedure, and college students' responses on a subjectively scored life events questionnaire and measures of perceived and received social support. A manipulation check showed that the mood manipulation was successful. There was a significant mood effect on the number of self-reported negative life events, with E subjects reporting the fewest. However, mood had no significant effect on the number of self-reported positive life events or the rated intensity of negative and positive events. Mood had a significant effect on perceived social support, with D subjects scoring the lowest. Self-report of received social support, however, was not affected by the mood manipulation. The findings challenge the widespread use of life event and perceived social support questionnaires whose independence from a mood-related response bias has not been adequately demonstrated. The findings also challenge causal interpretation of significant effects for self-reported life stress and perceived social support obtained in cross-sectional prediction studies of concurrent psychological distress.

Cites (4)

1. Stress, social support, and the buffering hypothesis
   Cohen, Sheldon, Wills, Thomas A. · 1985 · Psychological Bulletin
2. Mood and memory
   Bower, Gordon H. · 1981 · American Psychologist
3. Assessing the impact of life changes: Development of the Life Experiences Survey.
   Sarason, Irwin G., Johnson, James H., Siegel, Judith M. · 1978 · Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology
4. Exemplification of a Method for Scaling Life Events: The PERI Life Events Scale
   Dohrenwend, Barbara Snell, Askenasy, Alexander R., Krasnoff, Larry, Dohrenwend, Bruce P. · 1978 · Journal of Health and Social Behavior

Show all 4 references

Cited by (18)

1. Assessing Subjective Well-Being: Progress and Opportunities
   Diener, Ed · 1994 · Social Indicators Research
2. THE EFFECTS OF STRESSFUL LIFE EVENTS ON DEPRESSION
   Kessler, Ronald C. · 1997 · Annual Review of Psychology
3. Inventorying stressful life events as risk factors for psychopathology: Toward resolution of the problem of intracategory variability.
   Dohrenwend, Bruce P. · 2006 · Psychological Bulletin
4. A prospective cohort study investigating factors associated with depression during medical internship
   Sen, Srijan, Kranzler, Henry R., Krystal, John H., Speller, Heather, Chan, Grace, Gelernter, Joel, Guille, Constance · 2010 · Archives of General Psychiatry
5. Social reactions to disclosure of interpersonal violence and psychopathology: A systematic review and meta-analysis
   Dworkin, Emily R., Brill, Charlotte D., Ullman, Sarah E. · 2019 · Clinical Psychology Review

See all 218