 | The 131st Annual Meeting (November 15-19, 2003) of APHA |
|
| The 131st Annual Meeting (November 15-19, 2003) of APHA |
Briggett C Ford, ACSW, MPH, PhD, School of Social Work, University of Michigan, 1080 S. University, Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1106, (734)-763-6282, bcford@umich.edu
Recent studies show that culture and in particular language are important to the understanding of depression. Further, a relationship between age, gender, education and race and the interpretation of depression is thought to exist. Using logistic regression, the relationship between race and the cognitive understanding of depression was examined. Responses to two probes assessing the language of depression were explored in three categories in a community sample of 197 respondents. Women were two times more likely to use language related to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual when responding to the probe assessing the meaning of sad, blue or depressed. Additionally, younger respondents were more likely to use DSM in response to the meaning of depressed probe. Education was significantly related to respondent's choice of language when answering the other words to describe depressed probe. A comparison of the of the other category against all other categories found that those with high levels of education were three times more likely to use other language in response to the meaning probe. Men significantly used more language coded as other in their answers to the other words probe. No relationship was found between any of the variables and the use of DSM language in comparison to other categories in responses to either probe.
Learning Objectives:
Keywords: Depression, Indigenous Populations
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.