How people from different cultures view depression - Dissertation Example

This research shall be devoted to the analysis of how people from different cultures deal with depression. Given this, the study shall then beentitled as “The Explorative Cultural View on Understanding Depression.” Introduction Depression is usually define as that state of low mood and aversion to activity that significantly affects the thoughts, behavior, feelings and the physical well-being of a certain person (Beck and Alford 2009). Usually, depression is accompanied by negative feelings that include but are not limited to sadness, anxiety, worthlessness, restlessness, guilt and irritability (Beck and Alford 2009; Knaus and Ellis 2006). Various researchers however, have pointed out that the cultural context wherein people affected with depression reside play a very important role in the development of the said disorder. Traditionally, research showed that only people who belong to the Western culture suffered from depression. Nevertheless, the evolution of the study pointed out that this is no longer the case as other non-Western cultures have been found to suffer from this disorder as well. It is in this regard that this research focuses on the aspect relating to the cultural differences with respect to depression. This research aims to answer the following questions: 1. How do different cultures view depression? 2. What are the perceptions of the different cultures with respect to the cure of depression as a disorder? 3. How does culture affect one’s understanding of depression? Aside from answering the questions, this research also aims to attain the following goals: 1. To look into the perceptions of different cultures with respect to depression; 2. To identify the perceptions of the different cultures with respect to the cure of depression as a disorder; and finally, 3. To determine the effects of culture on one’s their understanding of depression. Literature Review This section of the research proposal reviews the pertinent literature with respect to cultural differences regarding depression. Culture and ethnicity are often regarded as the important aspects of health and illness. In fact, there is a branch of health medicine named ethnomedicine which is primarily lodged with the task of looking into the role of culture, perception and context in shaping a person’s physical and mental health (Gotlib and Hammen 2010). Traditionally, depression was regarded as a disorder from developed Western nations. Conversely, it was noted that non-Euro-American cultures do not suffer from depression. Nevertheless, the evolution of ethnomedicine has proved that depression is perceived differently from one culture to another (Hammen 1997). Cultural differences most especially as regards perceptions in social hierarchy affect one’s admittance of whether he or she is suffering fro the disorder. In many Western countries, individualism is very important (Carson, Butcher and Mineka 2006; Karasz 2005). Hence, the individuals are perceived as independent, autonomous and usually involved in the attainment of individual success and achievement. On the other hand, non-Western cultures are more collectivist, viewing the family or the social group as more important than the individual. In this regard, it is common for the non-Westerners to sacrifice their personal happiness for the benefit of the entire group. Because of this lack of focus on one’s self, people belonging to cultures that are highly collectivist are less likely to develop depressive disorders. Cultural identity is thus commonly associated with the degree by which an individual shows symptoms of depression. People in the Western countries are more likely to admit that they exhibit symptoms of depression whilst this is not the case in non-Western countries (Aldwin and Greenberger n.d). Aside from the aforementioned, it was also discovered that cultural differences also play a significant role as regards to the tendency of an individual to seek medical help to cure depression (Ahmed 2006). Methodology The research makes use of the quantitative method to enable the researcher to discover the pertinent aspects of the research through the use of statistical data. A total of sixty respondents shall be obtained for this particular research in order to explore the cultural differences with respect to depression. These sixty respondents are students from the Middlesex University. The purposive sampling technique shall be adopted in order obtain the respondents for this study. The following inclusion criteria shall be used in selecting respondents: 1) must be s student of Middlesex University; 2) must at least be 18 years old; and 3) must have expressly given consent for participation to the study. Considering the sensitivity of the topic at hand, confidential issues shall be handled by ensuring that the questionnaires are delivered and returned in a sealed envelope. Furthermore, only the researcher and the interviewer can read the answers to the questions contained in the questionnaire. To ensure the external and internal validity of the research, the researcher shall first conduct a pilot study with an initial 10 respondents to be able to compute for Cronbach’s alpha for the instruments being used. This shall ensure that the outcomes that are gathered from the survey questionnaires are internally valid (Balnaves & Caputi 2001). Moreover, an additional measure for ensuring the validity of the instruments is by subjecting it through a review of a subject matter expert who shall vouch for its content validity. The latter ensures that an instrument measures what it has set out to assess or measured (Creswell 2009). The Questionnaire. The questionnaire developed is made up of three sections: (1) Demographic, (2) Knowledge and (3) Attitudes. The first section looks into the gender, age and racial background of the respondents. On the other hand, the second section looks into the knowledge that the respondents have with respect to depression; thus, it includes items that look into the causes and treatments of depression. Finally, the third section looks into the attitudes that the respondents possess with respect to depression. The Questionnaire developed is appended to this research proposal. The data obtained in this research shall be analyzed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS). More specifically, the data shall be analyzed using one-way analysis of variance (one-way ANOVA), with culture as independent variable and depression scale scores as dependent variable. Descriptive statistics shall likewise be generated, including frequency and percentage distributions, means, and standard deviations. Timeline 1 2 3 4 5 Research proposal; Find previous researches discussing the topic at hand Preparation of the questionnaire Data collection Presentation of Data First Draft Revisions Submission of Final Draft The figure presented above shows the timeline which this research shall follow. The study shall be conducted for five months. The first month has been devoted to the preparation of research proposal and the conduction of the previous researches with respect to the topic at hand. Subsequently, a month shall be devoted to the preparation of the questionnaire which the researcher shall use in this particular study. Data collection shall then be performed during the latter part of the second month as well as the first part of the third month. Thereafter, the presentation of the data shall be finalized during the third month of the study. Finally, the final paper shall be submitted after the fifth month. References Ahmed, K. 2006. Diagnosis and Management of Depression among Cultures. Uk: Elsevier. Aldwin, C. and Greenberger, E. n.d. Cultural Differences in the Predictors of Depression. American Journal of Community Psychology, 15(6), p.789-813. Balnaves, M & Caputi, P 2001, Introduction to quantitative research methods: An investigative approach. London: Sage Publications. Beck, A.T. and Alford, B.A. 2009. Depression: Causes and Treatments. PA: University of Pennsylvania Press. Carson, R.C., Butcher, J.N. and Mineka, S. 2006. Abnormal Psychology and Modern Life. CA: Allyn & Bacon. Creswell, J.W. (2009). Research design: Qualitative, quantitative, and mixed method approaches. Sage Publications Ltd. Gotlib, I.H. and Hammen, C.L. 2010. Handbook of Depression. CA: Sage Publications. Hammen, C.L. 1997. Depression. CA: Psychology Press. Karasz, A. 2005. Cultural Differences in Conceptual Models of Depression. US: Albert Einstein College of Medicine. Knaus, W.J. and Ellis, A. 2006. Theh Cognitive Behavioral Workbook for Depression. UK: New Harbinger Publications. Appendix A: Survey Questionnaire DEMOGRAPHIC INFORMATION 1. Gender ( ) Male ( ) Female 2. Age ( ) below eighteen years old ( ) 18-20 ( )above 21 3. Race ( ) Caucasian ( ) African-American ( )Asian ( )Hispanic ( ) Arab ( ) Others KNOWLEDGE On a scale of 1-5 with 5 (strongly agree) being the highest and 1 (strongly disagree) as the lowest, rate the following statements with respect to depression. 5 4 3 2 1 Depression is caused by genetic factors Depression is caused by unfavorable incidents in the past Depression is a neurotransmitter disease There are many causes of depression Depression leads to suicide Depression can be treated Depression is a problem of Westerners Depression is caused by loneliness Depression is a normal phenomenon Depression affects only who do not have families/friends Depression is against the teachings of our religion Depressed people are condemned in our culture Depression treatments must be suited to the needs of the patient Depression can be attributed to imbalance of cosmic forces Depression can be attributed to voodoo I know when I am depressed When I am depressed, I feel ashamed about it I will seek help if I am depressed Going to the psychologist/psychiatrist is normal Going to the psychologist/psychiatrist is something to be ashamed of ATTITUDES TOWARD DEPRESSION On a scale of 1-5 with 5 (strongly agree) being the highest and 1 (strongly disagree) as the lowest, rate the following statements with respect to depression. 5 4 3 2 1 It is okay to feel depressed Only sinners feel depressed People suffering from depression are crazy It is okay to consume alcoholic beverages Alcoholic beverages are for the depressed I tolerate suicide Suicide is condemned in our religion People suffering from depression must be locked up in mental institutions People suffering from depression must be slowly incorporated back to the society People depressed must seek medical advice People depressed must pray for strength People suffering from depression need support from their family and friends Read More