Past research has found support for an interpersonal-cognitive model of depression which suggests that a newly identified subtype of social support, inferential feedback, plays an important role in the development of depression. Inferential feedback from friends and family members addresses the cause, meaning, and consequences of negative life events and may influence depression through its effect on depression-inducing cognitions. The purpose of the current study was to validate a new measure of perceived inferential feedback (the Social Feedback Questionnaire; SFQ). Results indicate that the SFQ is a reliable, valid, and simple measure of social support that may prove useful for clinical research, assessment, and intervention.
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