Abstract

Two questionnaire studies that examined the effect of depression on metacognitive skills involved in studying are presented. In the first study, depressive symptoms and several aspects of study habits were assessed in 315 adolescents attending the first three years of a public high school (aged 14-17 years). When compared to nondepressed controls (low Children's Depression Inventory - CDI - score), depressed subjects (high CDI score) reported less metacognitive and strategic study habits. The second study evaluated the specificity of the effects of depression on metacognitive skill to determine whether the metacognitive deficits were due to depression or to concomitant high levels of anxiety. The subjects were 322 adolescents, attending the first year of a public high school (aged 13-16 years) and were classified as depressed-nonanxious, depressed-anxious, nondepressed-anxious or nondepressed-nonanxious on the basis of their score on Children's Depression Inventory and State Trait Anxiety Inventory. The results suggested that the pattern of findings were specific to depression.