The Measurement of Positive Attitudes: The Glass is Half Full

Positive thoughts play a significant role in the experience and recovery from depression. The Coping Attitudes Scale (CAS) is a rationally derived measure of positive cognitions. The CAS contains statements reflective of coping attitudes along five domains: life perspective, personal accomplishment, positive future, self-worth, and coping with problems. The current study examined the CAS in psychiatric outpatients and college students. Measures of depression, hopelessness, suicidal ideation and positive attitudes were administered to 82 adult psychiatric outpatients and 156 college students. Depression and hopelessness were strongly, negatively, partially correlated with each of the CAS factors, after controlling for age. Relationships among individual CAS factors and suicidal ideation demonstrated weak to moderate partial associations, after controlling for age. Depression was significantly associated with the coping with problems subscale (R ² = .530). Hopelessness was significantly related to the positive future subscale (R ² = .696). Further, the CAS demonstrated a significant relationship with depression and hopelessness, even after accounting for the Automatic Thoughts Questionnaire-Revised, Positive subscale. The CAS may be an improved measure of positive attitudes that could be useful in establishing a patient’s baseline of positive thinking, determining targets for therapy, and in monitoring progress in treatment.