When friends make you blue: the role of friendship contingent self-esteem in predicting self-esteem and depressive symptoms

This research examines the role of friendship contingent self-esteem (fcse),or self-esteem that is dependent on the quality of one's friendships,in predicting depressive symptoms. in study 1,the authors developed a measure of fcse. both fcse and others' approval correlated with self-esteem and depressive symptoms,but when entered simultaneously in a regression equation,only fcse significantly predicted self-esteem and depressive symptoms. study 2 showed that dependency and close friendship competence predicted depressive symptoms only for those high in fcse. in study 3,a diary study,fcse predicted self-esteem instability. self-esteem instability,in turn,predicted depressive symptoms. furthermore,a three-way interaction of rumination,fcse,and the valence of the event predicted momentary self-esteem. findings are discussed with regard to the importance of considering fcse when investigating interpersonal risk for depression. © 2010 by the society for personality and social psychology,inc.