The proposed project is a prospective investigation of hopefulness and self-efficacy as possible mediating variables in recovery from symptoms of depression. The project will focus on a sample of women participating in a transition-out-of-poverty program in Harlem in New York City. This exploratory research is directed at creating an empirically-informed framework for inquiry into potential sources of strength and positive change among urban ethnic minority women living in poverty. Such inquiry is crucial to the development of conceptual models that address: (a) the need for research on recovery from depression among non-patient samples, (b) the need for a foundation of knowledge about the psychological mechanisms involved in positive life change, and (c) the need for inclusion of data derived from participants' own perspectives in defining positive change. A sample of fifty women will be assessed at the beginning (Time 1) and at the end (Time 2) of their participation in the poverty transition program. An equal sample of men from the same program will also be included to assess the gender specificity of the psychological mechanisms investigated. Data will be collected on depressive symptoms, hopefulness, and self-efficacy, as well as on a variable entitled domains of meaning (Ali, Oatley, & Toner, in press; Ali & Toner, 2001). Domains of meaning are specific life domains that have particular importance or meaning for a given individual. In this project, these domains will be used to evaluate positive life change through a semi-structured interview methodology. Content analysis will be performed on the Time 1 interview data to derive for each participant the domains in which he or she most desires a positive change through participating in the program. At Time 2, each participant will complete a scale which rates the degree of positive change that the participant perceives in each of the domains he or she had identified at Time 1. Hopefulness, self-efficacy, and symptoms of depression will also be measured at Time 2. A series of hierarchical multiple regression analyses will be performed to assess the role of hopefulness and the role of self-efficacy in mediating the influence of positive change (as measured by the Time 2 scale of domains of meaning) on the reduction of depressive symptoms.
