iii
Abstract
Although cognitive bibliotherapy is useful for alleviating depressive symptoms in older
adults, little
is
known about the client characteristics related to improvement with this
form
of
treatment. This information could help clinicians predict individual response to
bibliotherapy. Rolland' s RIASEC model can be helpful in characterizing response to
different treatment environments as a function
of
personality types.
It
has been
suggested that persons with Realistic, Investigative, or Conventional personality
orientations respond favorably to a self-help treatment format. We tested this
hypothesis with 40 oIder adults
(M
age = 71) who participated in a four-week
cognitive bibliotherapy program. Participants were assessed before treatment using the
Self-Directed Search (SDS; Rolland, 1991) and other measures. A significant reduction
in depressive symptoms was observed after treatment. Although the hypothesis was
Dot
confrrmed, results show that subjects who show the most improvement were less
depressed before treatment, scored lower on the Enterprising scale
of
the SDS, received
less support from their families, and perceived their health as poorer.