Abstract
The purpose of this study was to develop the Dysfunctional Attitudes Inventory for Children (DAIC), and to examine the effects of dysfunctional attitudes on depression and anxiety in elementary school children. In study I, factor analysis using the data of 451 children from grades 4 to 6 was conducted. Two factors were identified: catastrophic/hopeless attitude, and praise/approval seeking attitude. It was also demonstrated that DAIC had moderate reliability and validity. In study II, results of a series of analysis using the data of 617 elementary school children revealed that catastrophic/hopeless attitude predicted the levels of both depressive and anxious symptomatologies. On the other hand, praise/approval seeking attitude predicted only anxiety and not depression. Finally, implications for using the cognitive-behavioral approach in modifying dysfunctional attitudes were discussed.
