Final answer:
The association between major life stress and the development of depression is best described as a diathesis-stress model, which posits that depression can result from a combination of an individual's vulnerability and life stressors. So the correct answer is option (A).
Step-by-step explanation:
The association between major life stress and the development of depression is best described as a diathesis-stress model. This model suggests that depression may arise due to an interaction between individuals' pre-existing vulnerability to depression (the diathesis) and life stressors. According to research by Mazure (1998) and Kessler (1997), stress can be a significant factor in depression, either by acting as a trigger or by compounding pre-existing vulnerabilities, such as genetic factors, personality traits, or previous experiences.
Furthermore, this concept aligns with Seligman's learned helplessness model and its reformulation into hopelessness theory, as well as Beck's cognitive model of depression. These theories suggest that an individual's attribution style (e.g., internal, stable, and global attributions for negative events) can contribute to the development of depression in the presence of stressful life events (Peterson & Seligman, 1984).
Antidepressants' impact on the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis and chronic uncontrollable stress are also implicated in the onset of major depressive disorder (MDD), providing biological evidence for the stress-related pathophysiology in depression (Wong & Licinio, 2001; Clark & Beck, 2010).