The MCDI is a color-based scale that measures depressive tendencies that may originate from childhood experiences and family environment. It consists of 4 domains that examine socio-demographic factors, childhood experiences, associating family members with colors, and associating childhood experiences with colors. The examiner interprets the scale based on the positivity or negativity of the colors chosen and looks for patterns between memories and colors to indicate if the person shows tendencies of depression from their childhood. The scale aims to trace the roots of depression without other environmental influences.

1. Maaño Childhood
Depression Indicator
(MCDI)
Janmarie Gabrielle DG. Maaño
2010 - 04674

2. The MCDI is a color test
that measures
depressive tendencies
of people that may be
rooted down to their
childhood years.

3. Depression is an
affective disorder which
may be unipolar or
bipolar. Bipolar
depression is
characterized by mania
followed by depression.
Depressive lifestyle is
also very common
especially in
adolescents.

4. Diathesis – Stress Model of Depression
The diathesis – stress model is a model associated
with depression which assumes that depression
may be affected genetically and through the
exposure to specific environments. This scale
focuses on the measurement of depression through
the familial environment and childhood
experiences. Certain exposures to people and
events may have triggered the onset of a depressive
tendency.
Depression could be an onset during childhood.

5. CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK
FAMILY
MEMBER
FAMILY
MEMBERS
COLOR CODES
MEMORY
DEPRESSION
CHILDHOOD
EXPERIENCE
CHILDHOOD
EXPERIENCES
COLOR CODE
MEMORY

6. The MCDI measures a
person’s tendency for
depression that may be
rooted down to that
person’s childhood. The
scale will only measure the
depression tendency that
may be from familial
experiences. It rules out
stressors that may be
acquired from peer
relationships and other
environmental factors
outside the family.

7. The MCDI is a scale which consists
of four domains. Each domain
measures an aspect of a person’s
life which could help the examiner
determine the stressors that may
lead to the manifestation of
depression.
The four domains are:
•Socio-Demographic Factors
•Childhood Experiences
•Family Members Color Codes
•Childhood Experiences Color Codes

8. •Contains 7 items for the age, birthday,
sex, gender, civil status, socio-economic
Socio-demographic Factors status and occupation
•Name and contact details are optional
•Provides response options of Yes or No to
Childhood Experience 10 items that measure the developmental
environment the child had
•Contains 9 family members which the
participant would correlate to colors
Family Members Color Codes
•Comments will be written down by the
examiner
•Contains 13 childhood events that the
participant would correlate to colors
Childhood Experiences Color Codes
•Comments will be written down by the
examiner

9. The Color Codes
Red 1 2 Orange
Green 3 4 Blue
Pink 5 6 Yellow
Violet 7 8 Gray
Black 9 10
White

10. COLOR POSITIVE NEGATIVE
Warmth, love, boldness, excitement, speed,
Anger, danger, aggression,
RED strength, energy, determination, desire,
morbidity, obsession
passion, courage
cheerfulness, low cost, affordability,
ORANGE Pessimism, superficiality
enthusiasm, stimulation, creativity, food
durability, reliability, environmental,
luxurious, optimism, well-being, nature, calm,
GREEN Possessiveness
relaxation, Spring, safety, honesty, optimism,
harmony, freshness
peace, professionalism, loyalty, reliability, Melancholia, boredom,
BLUE honor, Winter, depth, stability, coldness, conservatism,
professionalism, honor, trust frigidity

11. COLOR POSITIVE NEGATIVE
PINK Love, nurturing Immature, silly
Comfort, liveliness, optimism,
Attention-grabbing,
YELLOW overwhelm, Summer, comfort, cowardliness, hunger, conflict
liveliness, intellect, happiness, energy
Royalty, nobility, elegance,
VIOLET sophistication, artificial, luxury, Mystery, power, impractical
royalty, elegance, magic
conservatism, traditionalism,
GRAY Serious, dull, uninteresting
intelligence

12. COLOR POSITIVE NEGATIVE
Elegance, sophistication, formality, Death, illegality, depression,
BLACK
strength morbidity, night, absence
Cleanliness, purity, newness, virginity,
WHITE peace, innocence, simplicity, sterility, Cold, death, emptiness
snow, ice, cold, new

13. The first part of the scale is a
measure of the socio-
demographic profile of the
participant. The socio-
demographic profile supports
the assumption due to the
disposition of the person and
also due to the normalcy of
the person’s state. Items such
as the sex, gender and socio-
economic status can be
factors to measure the
disposition of the person.

14. The second domain
surveys the familial
environment the person
grew up to. It paints a
general picture of the
person’s childhood –
whether it was admirable
to the person or not. Items
regarding the parents and
who brought up the
person were asked to
correlate to general
answers from the
experiences in domains 3
and 4.

15. The third domain is when the
interviewer starts administering
the projective test. The
interviewer will be asking the
participant to associate a color
with a family member. From
there, the interviewer may ask
specific questions of why the
participant chose the certain
color. The interviewer must
remind the participant that
projection of a certain color may
not be instantaneous, they can
think thoroughly of the color
and the memory they want to
reveal.

16. The last domain
associates the person’s
childhood experiences
to a certain color. In
this domain, patterns
may already be
recognized, therefore
making vivid
associations between
memory and color.

17. The scale is measured
through norming. The
projective test is generally
interpreted by the
examiner. Guides for
measuring the stories of
the participant are
evaluated by the polarity
of the colors. Positive and
negative indications are
given and the examiner
traces connections
between the nature of the
colors.

18. Scoring
•Arrange the polarity of colors (determine the light and dark colors)
•Check the dominance of the color in the answers
•10 – darkest; 1- lightest
•3rd domain: 70-90 strong tendency for depression experienced in the
family; 40-69 moderate tendency for depression; 9-39 no to light
tendency for depression
•4th domain: 70-130 strong tendency for depression experienced in
childhood development; 30-69 moderate tendency for depression; 13-
29 no to light tendency for depression
•Evaluate depressive tendency for domains 3 and 4
•Correlate to domain 2 (question 15)
•Examiner’s interpretation are highly involved

19. SIGNIFICANCE AND APPLICATION
The scale may be used to trace tendencies of
depression of a certain person. This may be used as a tool
to trace if depressive tendencies may be due to childhood
experiences or environment. This scale can rule out
certain contaminants such as the influences of peers.
Examiners may use the scale to assess a person’s
childhood development and indicate if there have been
depressive tendencies and if so, be able to monitor the
behavior of the individual.
The scale is significant because it is the first scale
which indicates depressive tendencies through a color
test. This is considered an advantage because projective
tests may reveal more about the person than standardized
tests.

20. References
• Adams, Francis M.; Osgood, Charles E. A Cross-Cultural
Study of the Affective Meanings of Color. Journal of
Cross-Cultural Psychology , Volume 4 (2): 135
SAGE – Jun 1, 1973
• John P.J. Pinel, Biopsychology 8th edition, University of
British Columbia, Pearson 2011
• Warcoll, Anna. Psychology and Colors. Psychology and
Art 2003