PSYCHOLOGY MASTER'S THESIS ABSTRACT

Janice Johnson

MA-Research
December 2004

Development of a Tense-Tiredness Index as a Predictive Scale for Depression

    Based on Thayer’s two-dimensional arousal model of mood, a reliable and valid instrument assessing tense-tiredness was constructed.  Tense-tiredness is a component of mood characterized by high tense and low energetic arousal often accompanied by negative thoughts and behaviors.  Evidence suggests that tense-tiredness is the mood state that most likely underlies depression.  Proposed scale items were administered to 345 university students who rated 76 items reflecting those factors related to tense-tiredness.  Principal components analysis yielded an eight-factor solution and led to a final scale consisting of 38 items.  The Tense-Tiredness Index displayed high internal consistency and construct validity was supported by high correlations with the Beck Depression Inventory – Second Edition in a sample of 242 university students and corporate employees.  Significant findings reveal that tense-tiredness predicts up to 45 % of the variance of depression, thus suggesting it as a contributing factor in depression.

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