Theses and Dissertations

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Date of Award

1-1-2025

Document Type

Dissertation - NSU Access Only

Degree Name

Doctor of Psychology (PsyD)

First Advisor

Charles Golden

Keywords

Depression; Neuropsychology

Abstract

Several studies have evaluated the impacts of emotional dysfunction on neuropsychological outcomes. These studies suggest that an individual’s emotional distress can impact other domains of functioning, such as intelligence, memory, and executive functioning. To the untrained eye, deficits in these domains of functioning may appear to be evidence of neurocognitive disorders when, in fact, they are not. This has considerable implications for diagnosis and treatment. Given that the literature provides support for the impact of depression on measures of intelligence, memory, and executive functioning, the question becomes, where on the spectrum do these changes occur? The current study addressed this question by comparing groups of individuals who endorsed items that resulted in clinically elevated scores on the MMPI-2 scale 2 (Depression) on intelligence, memory, and executive functioning measures. Individuals were grouped as mild clinical depression (T-scores 65 to 74), moderate clinical depression (T-scores 75 to 84), and severe clinical depression (T-scores above 85). Those with invalid MMPI-2 profiles were excluded. One way between subjects ANOVAs were used to assess outcomes. Results demonstrated no significant differences among depression severity groups on measures of intellectual, memory, or executive functioning. Therefore, those with varying levels of clinical depression do not perform differently on these neuropsychological outcomes. Theoretical and clinical implications are discussed.

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