Abstract

Introduction: The aim of this study was to assess the semantic representation of depressed patients and also the efficacy of semantic differentiation technique for this kind of assessment.

Method: Subjects (30 depressed  and 30 non- depressed persons) were selected through convenient sampling. The instruments used included a modified version of a semantic differentiation task, which�embodied four stimulus concepts of me, past, life and future, and Beck’s Depression Inventory. Data were analyzed using descriptive methods, t-test, Pearson’s correlation coefficient, and regression analysis.

Results: There was a significant difference in the total semantic differentiation scores between dep-�ressed and normal subjects.There was a positive correlation between the severity of depression and negative semantic representation. Negative representation of the concept “me” was the strongest predictor of depression.

Conclusion: Depressed patients have a negative meaning representation of life, past, future, and in�particular self that must be addressed by the therapists. The semantic differentiation technique is effective for clinical assessments.