Abstract
The aim of this study was to test two competing theories concerning the trait of urgency: (a) Urgency reflects the tendency to act rashly/impulsively when emotional, or (b) urgency reflects a general reflexive responsivity to emotions that can lead either to rash action or to ill-advised inaction and thus to either impulsive behavior or depression. Following prior findings that fifthgrade urgency predicted sixth-grade impulsive behavior, we tested whether urgency also predicted sixth-grade depression (n = 1,906). After controlling for sex, early pubertal onset, fifth-grade depression, fifth-grade engagement in addictive behaviors, negative affect, positive affect, and other impulsivity-related traits, fifth-grade urgency level did predict higher levels of depression at the end of sixth grade. This finding is consistent with the view that urgency can lead either to rash action or to ill-advised inaction. Urgency may be of transdiagnostic importance, contributing to both internalizing and externalizing dysfunction.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 266-275 |
| Number of pages | 10 |
| Journal | Clinical Psychological Science |
| Volume | 1 |
| Issue number | 3 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Jul 2013 |
Bibliographical note
Funding Information:In part, this research was supported by National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism Grant RO1AA016166 to Gregory T. Smith.
Keywords
- Depression
- Impulsivity
- Inaction
- Rash action
- Urgency
- Youth
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Clinical Psychology