Dramatic induction of depressive mood.

Conducted an experiment (N = 105) wherein one group was exposed to a sad film in order to induce depressive feelings and another group was shown an emotionally neutral film. Two VROPSOM depressive affect checklists (the Dutch version of the DACL) were administered in a pretest-posttest design. Respondents who had watched the grievous movie reported more depressive mood, as compared to both the respondents at pretesting and those who had watched the neutral film. Specific analyses confirmed that it was a depressive emotional state that had been induced. These experimental effects, as well as intercorrelations with enduring depression, adjustment and approval-seeking, attested to the construct validity of the VROPSOM lists.