DEPRESSION RESEARCH METHODOLOGIES IN THE JOURNAL OF PERSONALITY AND SOCIAL-PSYCHOLOGY - A REPLY

H. Tennen, J. A. Hall, and G. Affleck (1995) argued in their critique of depression research published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology (JPSP) that investigators have failed to comply with several methodological recommendations often cited in the depression literature. They recommended resetting minimum criteria for publication of depression research in JPSP. In this article, it is asserted that Tennen and his colleagues did not consider a number of critical issues surrounding this set of methodological criteria. It is also contended that insufficient data are available to require strict adherence to several of the criteria. In light of the complexities surrounding Tennen et al.'s methodological criteria, it is concluded that JPSP's editors, reviewers, and readers would do better to evaluate studies on a case-by-case basis.