Date of Award
12-2004
Degree Name
Master of Arts
Department
Communication
First Advisor
Dr. Maria K. Lapinski-LaFaive
Second Advisor
Dr. Peter Northouse
Third Advisor
Dr. R. Wayne Fuqua
Access Setting
Masters Thesis-Open Access
Abstract
The purpose of this thesis was to test the relationship between depression, communication competence (CC), and social support. This relationship is rooted in the premise that central to CC is one's ability to solicit and receive social support from interpersonal relationships in terms of 3 dimensions: assertiveness, responsiveness, and cognitive flexibility. It was hypothesized that depression is negatively associated to cognitive flexibility, and in tum the assertiveness and responsiveness CC dimensions are positively related to quality interpersonal relationships and the social support received from such relationships. Bivariate correlation results indicate the data are consistent with the predicted relationships between the following variable pairs: depression and cognitive flexibility, cognitive flexibility and assertiveness, cognitive flexibility and responsiveness, assertiveness and quality friendships, responsiveness and quality relationships with family and partners, quality interpersonal relationships and social support for friends, family, and partners. Implications of these findings as well as directions for future research are discussed.
Recommended Citation
DeVries, Rebecca Sue, "Testing the Relationships among Depression, Communication Competence, Relational Satisfaction, and Social Support" (2004). Masters Theses. 4606.
https://scholarworks.wmich.edu/masters_theses/4606