BRIEF REPORT/RAPPORT BREF Entrapment and Perceived Status in Graduate Students Experiencing a Recurrence of Major Depression Edward D. Sturman and Myriam Mongrain York University The present study used a prospective design to test the role of involuntary subordination as a predictor of major depression. Involuntary subordination is a construct derived from social rank theory and has been implicated as a cause of major depression. Its most salient features include feelings of entrapment and unfavourable social comparisons (i.e., low perceived status). An initial sample of 146 graduate students underwent a diagnostic interview to confirm a history of major depression and also completed measures of entrapment and social comparison. After 16 months, participants were assessed for a recurrence of major depression. Participants who experienced a recurrence of depression had signifi- cantly higher levels of involuntary subordination (as measured by factor scores of entrapment and social comparison). A logistic regression analysis also showed that involuntary subordination predicted recur- rence of depression, even when controlling for current major depression and the number of previous episodes. The present study demonstrates the advantages of adopting a social rank perspective in modeling major depression. Keywords: depression, involuntary subordination, entrapment, social comparison, social rank theory In recent years, research on depression has increasingly fo- cused on identifying factors that serve as vulnerabilities to this disorder. Recent estimates place the lifetime prevalence of major depression (MD) at 16.2% (Kessler et al., 2003), and once an individual has experienced an initial episode of MD, the likelihood of experiencing a recurrence is approximately 60% (American Psychiatric Association [APA], 2000). To this end, the present study examined the role of involuntary subor- dination (IS) in predicting the recurrence of depression. This variable stems from an evolutionary framework for depression, and whilst it has been identified as an underlying cause of MD by some theorists (see Sloman & Gilbert, 2000), it has not been sufficiently tested in prospective studies. Evolutionary Models Price (1969, 1972) originally proposed that neurosis, and specifically depression, was the result of defeat in social com- petition. This was an ethological theory based on observations of failed struggles in various animal species. Losers in status contests were seen to become demotivated and withdrawn as the inevitability of defeat became apparent. This state was thought to be involuntary (dubbed the involuntary subordinate strategy; Sloman, Price, Gilbert, & Gardner, 1994) and signalled to the victor that the defeated organism was no longer a competitor. It therefore functioned to avoid further losses and injury. Typi- cally, the IS mechanism was switched off when an organism was able to escape or accept a new social position. However, failure to do so (i.e., an inability to accept defeat) resulted in prolonged IS, which in humans was thought to lead to MD (Sloman & Price, 1987). We have previously suggested that the psychological aspect of IS includes poor social comparisons and entrapment (Sturman & Mongrain, 2005). Social Comparison Allan and Gilbert (1995), working within the framework of social rank theory (see Gilbert, 2000; Price, 1969, 1972; Price & Sloman, 1987; Sloman & Price, 1987), have pointed to the impor- tance of social comparisons in the onset and maintenance of depression and anxiety. These authors defined social comparison as the extent to which individuals feel socially attractive relative to others, their social standing or rank, and the degree to which they perceive themselves as an insider or outsider. Taken as a whole, this view of social comparison may be interpreted as one’s per- ceived status. Individuals experiencing IS would be expected to endorse unfavourable social comparisons. Entrapment Gilbert and Allan (1998) have outlined another psychological mechanism, called entrapment, which may be at work in subordi- nate organisms. This construct was derived from the “arrested Edward D. Sturman and Myriam Mongrain, Department of Psychology, York University, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. This project was funded by a grant to M. Mongrain from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC) and from the Faculty of Arts of York University. Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to Edward D. Sturman, Psychology, State University of New York at Plattsburgh, Queensbury Branch Campus, 667 Bay Road, Suite 2B, Queensbury, NY 12804. E-mail: estur001@plattsburgh.edu Canadian Journal of Behavioural Science Copyright 2008 by the Canadian Psychological Association 2008, Vol. 40, No. 3, 185–188 0008-400X/08/$12.00 DOI: 10.1037/0008-400X.40.3.185 185