Perceptualand Motor Skills, 1991, 73, 294.
O Perceptual and Motor Skills 1991
DEPRESSION, SUICIDAL IDEATION AND AUTONOMIC REACTIVITY ' DAVID LESTER Richard Stockton Shte College Summary.-Depression and suicidal ideation were not related to selE-reported autonomic reactivity in a sample of high school students (12 boys and 28 girls).
The present study sought to explore whether depression scores on a selfreport inventory (Beck, Ward, Mendelson, Mock, & Erbaugh, 1961) were related to self-reports of autonomic reactivity (Plutchik & Conte, 1974). Both questionnaires were given anonymously to 12 boys and 28 girls in a high school class on social science (M,, = 17.2 yr., SD = 0.5). Beck Depression Inventory scores (M = 11.7, SD = 7.7) were significantly correlated with responses to only two of the 18 autonomic reactivity items ("I have observed that I have a fairly dry skin11 sweat a lot" and "If I eat lots of sweets and rich foods I put on weight easily/it does not seem to affect my weight much"); Pearson rs = 0.29 and 0.27, respectively. Scores on the item concerned with suicidal ideation were associated only with the item, "I have noticed that I tend to go long periods without urinatinglto urinate frequently ." Lester (1981) derived a measure of sympathetic-Parasympathetic autonomic nervous system balance from seven of the Plutchik and Conte items, but scores on this scale (M = 4.5, SD = 1.1) were not associated with depression scores or current suicidal ideation (rs = 0.11 and 0.14). Thus, scores on depression and suicidal ideation did not appear to be related to self-reported autonomic reactivity in this small sample of ordinary high school students. REFERENCES BECK,A. T., WARD,C. H., MENDELSON, M., MOCK, J., & ERBAUGH, J. An inventory for measuring depression. Archives of General Psychiatry, 1961, 4, 561-571. LESTER,D. Neuroticism, psychoticism, and autonomic nervous system balance. Biological Psychiatry, 1981, 16, 683-685. PLUTCIUK,R., & CONTE,H. Sex differences in reported psychophysiological reactivity. Psychological Reports, 1974, 35, 1221-1222. Accepted Airgust 5, 1991.
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'Address correspondence to D. Lester, Ph.D., Psychology Program, Richard Stockton State College, Pornona, NJ 08240-9988.
O Perceptual and Motor Skills 1991
DEPRESSION, SUICIDAL IDEATION AND AUTONOMIC REACTIVITY ' DAVID LESTER Richard Stockton Shte College Summary.-Depression and suicidal ideation were not related to selE-reported autonomic reactivity in a sample of high school students (12 boys and 28 girls).
The present study sought to explore whether depression scores on a selfreport inventory (Beck, Ward, Mendelson, Mock, & Erbaugh, 1961) were related to self-reports of autonomic reactivity (Plutchik & Conte, 1974). Both questionnaires were given anonymously to 12 boys and 28 girls in a high school class on social science (M,, = 17.2 yr., SD = 0.5). Beck Depression Inventory scores (M = 11.7, SD = 7.7) were significantly correlated with responses to only two of the 18 autonomic reactivity items ("I have observed that I have a fairly dry skin11 sweat a lot" and "If I eat lots of sweets and rich foods I put on weight easily/it does not seem to affect my weight much"); Pearson rs = 0.29 and 0.27, respectively. Scores on the item concerned with suicidal ideation were associated only with the item, "I have noticed that I tend to go long periods without urinatinglto urinate frequently ." Lester (1981) derived a measure of sympathetic-Parasympathetic autonomic nervous system balance from seven of the Plutchik and Conte items, but scores on this scale (M = 4.5, SD = 1.1) were not associated with depression scores or current suicidal ideation (rs = 0.11 and 0.14). Thus, scores on depression and suicidal ideation did not appear to be related to self-reported autonomic reactivity in this small sample of ordinary high school students. REFERENCES BECK,A. T., WARD,C. H., MENDELSON, M., MOCK, J., & ERBAUGH, J. An inventory for measuring depression. Archives of General Psychiatry, 1961, 4, 561-571. LESTER,D. Neuroticism, psychoticism, and autonomic nervous system balance. Biological Psychiatry, 1981, 16, 683-685. PLUTCIUK,R., & CONTE,H. Sex differences in reported psychophysiological reactivity. Psychological Reports, 1974, 35, 1221-1222. Accepted Airgust 5, 1991.
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'Address correspondence to D. Lester, Ph.D., Psychology Program, Richard Stockton State College, Pornona, NJ 08240-9988.
