Career Thoughts, Indecision, and Depression: Implications for Mental Health Assessment in Career Counseling

This study investigated the relationships among dysfunctional career thoughts and career indecision with respect to symptoms of depression. Such information could be useful to counselors in identifying individuals at the outset of career counseling who may be experiencing emotional distress from life stressors in addition to career stress. One-hundred fifty-eight college students enrolled in a career development course completed measures of dysfunctional career thoughts, an occupational alternative question, and a measure of depression symptoms. Results indicated that dysfunctional career thoughts and occupational indecision were related to depression symptoms, with decision-making confusion being the best predictor. Implications of the findings for practice and research are discussed.