brown

Question 1

brown aim

Answer 1

To see how self-esteem, support and life events impacted on onset of Depression

Question 2

brown sample

Answer 2

395 working class women with at least one child at home were recruited by postal questionnaire
(husbands in manual jobs or single mothers) All women were aged between 18 and 50, had a partner in
manual labour and all lived in Islington (prospective study)

Question 3

brown method

Answer 3

• 395 working class women with at least one child at home were recruited by postal
  questionnaire (husbands in manual jobs or single mothers) All women were aged between 18
  and 50, had a partner in manual labour and all lived in Islington (prospective study)
• Women were assessed twice, approximately a year apart using a variety of measures
• Prospective study
• Initially interviewed about self-esteem and social support they had in their lives
• Assessments were done by interview (some recorded and checked for inter-rater reliability)
  and included measurements of psychiatric stress
• At the second interview (303) participants were questioned about stressful life events in the
  intervening period and looked to see who had been diagnosed as depressed

Question 4

brown results

Answer 4

• Of the women who had developed depression in those twelve months, 29 of the 32 had
  experienced some major life event (involving a loss, failure or disappointment) 91% Vs 23% of
  the women without depression
• 33% of those who developed depression had negative evaluation of the self and 13% did not.
• The majority of women with core crisis support (85 of 92) saw it as helpful, and there was no
  difference in their perception of support being helpful whether they had developed depression
  or not.
• It is interesting that where a woman had said she had confided in a close tie (core support) at
  first contact, but not at crisis support and so felt let down, 42% developed depression