Effects of depression upon reading: a case for distinguishing effortful from automatic processes

This study was designed to test the view that depression would have selective effects upon effortful but not automatic aspects of reading. Relationships were determined between 59 fifth graders' depression scores (on the Children's Depression Inventory and a teacher's rating of depression) and their performance on measures of automatic aspects of reading (word recognition and word attack skills) and effortful aspects of reading (comprehension). A stepwise multiple regression, using statistical controls for sex and mental ability, showed expected relationships of depression to over-all comprehension for the 7 teachers' ratings, but not for the inventory. As expected, relationships of depression to word recognition and word attack scores were statistically non-significant.