The Impact of an Enriched Environment on the Relationship Between Activation and Depression in Latinx and Non-Latinx Students.

ACCEPTANCE & commitment therapy; COGNITIVE therapy; HUMAN behavior models

Behavioral models of depression have theorized that access to positive reinforcement is a key component to the etiology and maintenance of depression. As a result, many treatments for depression such as Cognitive-Behavior Therapy, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, and Behavioral Activation emphasize the importance of increased activity and creating an environment where rewards and reinforcement is available. Despite the theoretical underpinnings in depression and the success of these treatments incorporating the constructs, little is known about the relationship between the availability of environmental rewards and activation as it relates to depression. To address this gap in knowledge, a cross-sectional survey was administered to 409 undergraduate students at a medium-sized, Hispanic-Serving institute. Consistent with behavioral models of depression, the findings provided support for the contribution of an enriched environment as well as behavioral activation on depression. The findings indicate that the role of activation changes based on the level of environmental reward that is available. When taken together, the availability of environmental reward and activation accounted for a large amount of the variance of depression indicating support for behavioral models of depression. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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