Discuss / Evaluate one or more sociocultural etiologies of one disorder (Brown & Harris and Parker)

Question 1

Sociocultural Etiologies of MDD (Sociocultural Etiology of MDD focuses on the role of environmental factors..)

Answer 1

Sociocultural Etiology of MDD focuses on the role of environmental factors upon the likelihood of developing depression. It is more holistic as it accounts for culture, class, and gender.

This can include:

• Stressors in the environment
• Available resources to cope with stresses
• Cultural reasonings

Question 2

Define Vulnerability Model

Answer 2

“Diathesis-Stress Model” the COMBINATION of genetic predisposition and environmental stressors that heighten the risk of developing disorder

Question 3

Define Kirmayer’s Theory of Cultural Explanatory Models

Answer 3

Cultural variations in the presentation of depression - cultures determine the most common sets of symptoms - disorders are universal but symptoms are not

Question 4

Claim 1: Vulnerability Model

Answer 4

When there are MORE risk factors in the environment than protective factors, one is likely to develop a disorder

Question 5

Brown & Harris Aim

Answer 5

How sociocultural or environmental factors may play a role in gender differences (women 2x as likely to develop depression as men)

Question 6

Brown & Harris Method

Answer 6

1. 458 women in London surveyed and semi-structure interviewed on life and depressive episodes.
2. Focused on particular struggles faced by women and rated in severity by independent researchers.
3. Asked questions focusing on biographical details.

Question 7

Brown & Harris Findings

Answer 7

85% of all women became clinically depressed (nearly 90% after an adverse life event or a serious difficulty such as an abusive relationship)

Social class - what the husband’s job was - played a big role in depression of women with children

Researchers identified that:

1. Protective factors → intimacy with husband led to higher levels of self-esteem despite stress
2. Vulnerability factors → loss of a parent, unemployment, lack of social support

Question 8

Brown & Harris Link

Answer 8

Stress triggers the biological predisposition of depression when met with negative cultural or env. factors such as social factors (low social status lead to increased exposure to vulnerability factors)

Combination of genetic vulnerability (diathesis) increases likelihood of depression

Question 9

Brown & Harris Strengths

Answer 9

Semi-structured interviews - more open-ended than structured interviews, relatively large samples

Question 10

Brown & Harris Weaknesses

Answer 10

Only females were included within the sample, cannot establish a C+E r/s it is only correlational

Question 11

Claim 2: Kirmayer’s Theory of Cultural Explanatory Models

Answer 11

Constant evolution of globalization, explanatory models shift over time – cultures create socially acceptable sets of symptoms of mental distress, so there are cultural variations in the presentation of depression. Since cultures are continually evolving, especially in the era of globalization, these explanatory models may change over time.

Question 12

Parker, Cheah & Roy Aim

Answer 12

What extent of symptoms of MDD differed between Chinese and Australian patients? Chinese patients tend to somaticize (physical symptoms rather than mental) - stigma?

Question 13

Parker, Cheah & Roy Method

Answer 13

50 Malaysian Chinese participants and 50 Australian participants diagnosed with MDD

1. Questionnaire based on MOOD & COGNITION (Western diagnostic tools for depression) and SOMATIC SYMPTOMS (Oberved by Singaporean psychiatrists)
2. Judge how many times they have experienced some of the symptoms in the past week and how distressing it was

Question 14

Parker, Cheah & Roy Findings

Answer 14

Somatic symptom was more of a warning for Chinese participants than Australians compared to emotion such as helplessness or depressed mood

Question 15

Parker, Cheah & Roy Link

Answer 15

Suggests the influence of culture in perception of MDD, in collectivist cultures such as China, personal importance on one’s emotions is less significant and even stigmatized

Question 16

Parker, Cheah & Roy Strengths

Answer 16

Cross-cultural validity as the questionnaire was translated and combined different cultural crieterias for MDD

Question 17

Parker, Cheah & Roy Weaknesses

Answer 17

Only done on two cultures and Malaysia is a Westernized society, variables like degrees of somatization and self-reporting bias need to be kept in mind

Question 18

Limitations of Soccul Etiology

Answer 18

Hard to measure the level of support — how stressful a life-event to is a person differs and is affected by biological factors (genetic heritability/genetic markers such as the 5-HTT gene) and cognitive factors (exhibition of depressive symptoms due to thinking patterns)

Theories are descriptive rather than explanatory — does not explain the root origin for the disorder as it is challenging to get quantitative data when discussing about ones environment

Question 19

Cog etiology Counter-Claim

Answer 19

The cognitive approach argues for patterns of thinking that are responsible for our mental disorders.

→ Gender diff in depression cause of coping styles

→ Men = distraction, women = ruminate feeling, why? What is the meaning for this distress?

→ Neg thinking leads to depressive symptoms (low self-esteem, hopelessness)

Nolen-Hoeksema’s Theory of Rumination

→ The more we experience a symptom, the more cognition we use to evaluate it, the more we become depressed

Question 20

N-H (Aim, Method, Findings, Link, Strengths, Weaknesses)

Answer 20

AIM: Role of rumination on depressive symptoms

METHOD:

1. 1132 participants in San Fran
2. Interviewed 2x 1 year with a 90-min clinical interview
3. Tests – Beck Anxiety and Beck Depression (automatic negative thinking)
4. Rumination and coping questionnaire (How much are you thinking about your negative feelings?)

FINDINGS: Potential MDD indivs had higher score of rumination.

Improvement of depression indivs had lowered rumination compared to chronically depressed

LINK: Rumination leads to an increase in exhibited depressive symptoms – persistently thinking negatively about your feelings

STRENGTHS: Supports N-H Theory, multimethod research - used both questionnaire + interview

WEAKNESSES: Self report – response biases, those with the strongest symptoms dropped out (introducing bias)

Question 21

Sociocultural Etiology Conclusion

Answer 21

• Soccul approach is more holistic as it focuses on the effect of environment factors such as class and gender
• Cross-cultural research is also problematic (etic approaches, cross-cultural research, can be criticized for having an outsiders perspective that can introduce skewed views of that culture)
• There is some disagreement about measuring different constructs such as stress or one’s level of social support.