New publication! A proof of concept for Hopelessness Theory of Depression: attributions help explain why stressors in scientific research can exacerbate depression among undergraduates and graduates

First-year PhD student Mary Kahraman just penned a new study observing whether Abramson's Hopelessness Theory of Depression can explain why research-related stressors exacerbate depression among science undergraduates and graduates.

Interviewing 74 researchers across 55 U.S. institutions who identified as having depression, the team found that students often attributed stressors, such as failure, criticism, and insufficient guidance, to internal (“I’m not smart enough”), stable (“this will never change”), or global (“I don’t belong in science”) causes. These attributions fostered feelings of hopelessness and, in turn, worsened students' depressive symptoms. The team show how thought patterns, not just lab environments, play a central role in shaping mental health in research, suggesting that cognitive interventions (like attributional retraining or CBT) and intentional mentorship practices could help students reframe stressors as temporary and external, reducing hopelessness and supporting persistence in science.

Read the article here: A proof of concept for Hopelessness Theory of Depression: attributions help explain why stressors in scientific research can exacerbate depression among undergraduates and graduates