This study examined whether deficits in working memory could serve as early warning signs for depression and suicidality in college students. The researchers administered neuropsychological tests of memory and attention as well as assessments of depression and suicidality to 88 college students. They found that poorer performance on tests of verbal working memory significantly correlated with higher levels of reported depression and suicidality. Specifically, worse verbal working memory was linked to greater cognitive, affective, and overall reported depression as well as increased suicidal thoughts. The results suggest that monitoring for difficulties with verbal working memory could help identify college students at risk for developing depression or suicidal ideation earlier.

1. Deficits in working memory as early warning signs for
depression and suicidality in college students
Daniel Doi, Jamel Burroughs, Sarah Adamson, Amanda Armstrong,
Charlene Southworth, & Kristine M. Jacquin, Ph.D.
Fielding Graduate University
• Depression and suicide are increasingly
common on college campuses.
• Many troubled students are not identified
until a suicide attempt occurs or until
depression is so severe as to be disabling.
• Faculty and others who see students
regularly may miss the early psychological
signs of depression and suicidality.
• However, attention and memory problems
resulting in academic difficulties are likely
to be noticeable.
• This connection between attention and
memory difficulties and depression and
suicidality is supported by prior research.
• For example, depressed individuals have
been shown to have slower response time,
poorer verbal fluency, and poorer
nonverbal memory (e.g., Gass, 1996; Lodewyk,
1992; Morasco et al., 2006; Naismith et al., 2003;
Retain & Wolfson, 1997; Rohling et al., 2002; Ross et
al., 2003; Westheide et al., 2007).
• The current research was designed to
determine whether neuropsychological
indicators may serve as early warning
signs for increasing levels of depression
and suicidality.
Abstract
Association for Psychological Science Convention 2015
Method
References
Many troubled college students are not
identified until depression is disabling or a
suicide attempt occurs. Thus, early warning
signs need to be identified. Our results
suggest that poor verbal working memory
may serve as an early warning sign for
increasing levels of depression and
suicidality.
Participants
• N = 88 college student
• Gender: 70% female, 30% male
• Race/ethnicity: 68% Caucasian, 28% African-
American, 3% Asian-American
• Exclusion criteria: must not have a current
mood disorder diagnosis
Measures and Procedure
• Neuropsychological tests associated with
memory, learning, and attention were
administered to participants.
• Rey Complex Figure Task - visual memory
• Wechsler Memory Scale - immediate and
delayed verbal memory, verbal list learning,
verbal associative learning; visual and
verbal working memory (attention)
• Personality Assessment Inventory (PAI)
• Suicide (SUI) scale
• Depression (DEP) scale
• DEP subscales - cognitive depression
(DEP-C), affective depression (DEP-A), and
physiological depression (DEP-P)
• Administration of the neuropsychological tests
and the PAI were counterbalanced across
participants.
We expected to find significant negative
correlations between memory and attention
performance and symptoms of depression and
suicidality.
Hypotheses
Gass, C. S. (1996). MMPI-2 variables in attention and memory test performance.
Psychological Assessment, 8, 135-138.
Lodewyk, K. S. (1992). Neuropsychological test performance in depression. (Order
No. 9225290, Rosemead School of Psychology, Biola University). ProQuest
Dissertations and Theses.
Morasco, B.J., Gfeller, J.D., & Chibnall, J.T. (2006). The relationship between
measures of psychopathology, intelligence, and memory among adults seen for
psychoeducational assessment. Archives of Clinical Neuropsychology, 21, 297-
301.
Naismith, S. L., Hickie, I. B., Turner, K., Little, C. L., Winter, V., Ward, P. B.,
Wilhelm, K., Mitchell, P., Parker, G. (2003). Neuropsychological performance in
patients with depression is associated with clinical, etiological and genetic risk
factors. Journal of Clinical and Experimental Neuropsychology, 25, 6.
Reitan, R. M., & Wolfson, D. (1997). Emotional disturbances and their interaction
with neuropsychological deficits. Neuropsychology Review, 7, 3-19.
Rohling, M. L., Green, P., Allen, L. M., & Iverson, G. L. (2002). Depressive
symptoms and neurocognitive test scores in patients passing symptom validity
tests. Archives of Clinical Neuropsychology, 18, 905-916.
Ross, S. R., Putnam, S. H., Gass, C. S., Bailey, D. E., & Adams, K. M. (2003).
MMPI-2 indices of psychological disturbance and attention and memory test
performance in head injury. Archives of Clinical Neuropsychology, 18, 905-916.
Westheide, J., Wagner, M., Quednow, B. B., Hoppe, C., Cooper-Mahkorn, D.,
Strater, B., Kuhn, K. (2007). Neuropsychological performance in partly remitted
unipolar depressive patients: Focus on executive functioning. European
Archives of Psychiatry and Clinical Neuroscience, 257(7), 389-95.
doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00406-007-0740-4.
Results
Introduction
Discussion
• Contrary to expectations, visual memory, verbal
narrative memory, verbal list learning, immediate
verbal associative memory, and visual working
memory were not associated with symptoms of
depression and suicidality.
• However, as expected, symptoms of depression
and suicidality predicted poorer verbal working
memory and showed a trend toward significance
in predicting delayed verbal associative memory.
• Overall, the results suggest that poor verbal
working memory may serve as an early warning
sign for increasing levels of depression and
suicidality.
• With more research, colleges and universities
may be able to use indicators of poor working
memory (e.g., difficulties paying attention in
class) as an early indicator of impending
depression and suicidality.
PAI Scale or Subscale Neuropsych Test Performance Correlation
DEP Poorer verbal working memory r = -.23, p = .04
DEP-C Poorer verbal working memory r = -.25, p = .02
DEP-C Poorer delayed verbal
associative memory
r = -.21, p = .06
DEP-P Poorer verbal working memory r = -.18, p = .09
SUI Poorer verbal working memory r = -.27, p = .01