Childhood maltreatment and maltreatment-specific inferences: A test of Rose and Abramson's 1992) extension of the hopelessness theory Brandon E. Gibb and Lauren B. Alloy Temple University, Philadelphia, USA Lyn Y. Abramson University of Wisconsin-Madison, USA Brian P. Marx Temple University, Philadelphia, USA In extending the etiological chain of the hopelessness theory of depression Abramson, Metalsky, & Alloy, 1989), Rose and Abramson 1992) proposed a developmental model by which childhood maltreatment may contribute to the development of a negative inferential style. Once developed, this negative infer- ential style leaves the individual vulnerable to developing hopelessness and symptoms of hopelessness depression. In the current cross-sectional study, reports of childhood emotional, but not physical or sexual, maltreatment were significantly related to undergraduates' inferential styles. In addition, results from path analyses indicated that inferences about specific experiences of childhood emotional mal- treatment mediated this relationship. Testing Rose and Abramson's entire model, results from path analyses supported a partial, but not full, mediation model. The hopelessness theory of depression Abramson, Metalsky, & Alloy, 1989) presents an etiological chain culminating in a cognitively mediated subtype of depression, termed ``hopelessness depression''. Specifically, Abramson et al. proposed that individuals who tend to attribute negative events to stable and global causes and infer negative consequences and negative self-characteristics following the occurrence of negative life events i.e., those who possess a negative inferential style) are vulnerable to developing hopelessness and the COGNITION AND EMOTION, 2003, 17 6), 917±931 Correspondence should be addressed to Brandon E. Gibb, Department of Psychology, Temple University, 1701 North 13th Street, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 19122-6085, USA; e-mail: bgibb@temple.edu This article was supported by National Institute of Mental Health Grants MH 64301 to Brandon E. Gibb and MH 48216 to Lauren B. Alloy. An earlier version of this paper was presented at the annual meeting of the Association for Advancement of Behavior Therapy, Philadelphia, PA, 2001. # 2003 Psychology Press Ltd http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals/pp/02699931.html DOI:10.1080/02699930244000237