Cognition and Dysphoria in Egypt and Canada: An Examination of the Cognitive Triad

Beck’s (1979) cognitive triad postulates that depressed and dysphoric individuals hold negative, automatic thoughts about the self, the world and the future. Despite the central role of this hypothesis in the cognitive theory for depression, this prediction has rarely been studied outside of the Western world. This study examined the relationship between dysphoria and a number of inventories designed to assess negative cognitions, in 336 participants from Egypt (n 150) and Canada (n 186). Dysphoric individuals in both countries harbored significantly more negative thoughts toward self, world and future than nondysphoric individuals. Additionally, Egyptian participants showed significantly more negative thoughts toward self and world than their Canadian counterparts even after controlling for dysphoria. This investigation supports the cross-cultural validity of the cognitive theory for depression. Strengths and limitations of the current study, as well as areas for future research, are discussed.