Cross-Cultural Depression
Cross-cultural Depression
Rogina Harden
Psy/450
January 8, 2013
Stephen Hoyer
Cross-cultural Depression
Kraft (2013), "Sadness is a short adjustment period. Depression is a long term illness.” What exactly depression is in clearly defined terms and where this disease comes from is something that has been left to discussion for some time. Butcher, Mineka, and Hooley (2013) make it clear to be aware of the cultural and historical context before making labels. However, 350 million depression diagnoses from all age groups suffer globally (World Health Organization, 2012). There are some factors that stretch across cultures and would affect the most impressionable of all human beings. Those individuals are children, and the factors are social economic status. Chronic stress, socioeconomic status (SES), and self-efficacy have a strong correlation with depression.
Chronic stress is a stimulus that occurs in life and like the difference between sadness and depression; it does not come and go. There may be times when the materials that are necessary to live and function are not readily available for a culture, family, or much less a child. There are homeless children in Morocco, lack of social services in a city in Costa Rica, and parents still dying of HIV/AIDS in Kilimanjaro (Cross-Cultural Solutions, 2012). These examples are extreme, but the fact is that when the stressor does not relent then biological and psychological ware will happen (Butcher, Mineka, & Hooley, 2013). An emphasis on the mastery of one’s environment s more typical of highly technologically developed societies; other cultures emphasize harmony and natural order. Looking beyond the way that each culture functions there shows some commonality across cultures that would be conducive to the illness of depression. The prevalence of poverty contributing to depression is growing with an ever more technological world. “There are millions who are able to save but there are billions who have nothing to
Rogina Harden
Psy/450
January 8, 2013
Stephen Hoyer
Cross-cultural Depression
Kraft (2013), "Sadness is a short adjustment period. Depression is a long term illness.” What exactly depression is in clearly defined terms and where this disease comes from is something that has been left to discussion for some time. Butcher, Mineka, and Hooley (2013) make it clear to be aware of the cultural and historical context before making labels. However, 350 million depression diagnoses from all age groups suffer globally (World Health Organization, 2012). There are some factors that stretch across cultures and would affect the most impressionable of all human beings. Those individuals are children, and the factors are social economic status. Chronic stress, socioeconomic status (SES), and self-efficacy have a strong correlation with depression.
Chronic stress is a stimulus that occurs in life and like the difference between sadness and depression; it does not come and go. There may be times when the materials that are necessary to live and function are not readily available for a culture, family, or much less a child. There are homeless children in Morocco, lack of social services in a city in Costa Rica, and parents still dying of HIV/AIDS in Kilimanjaro (Cross-Cultural Solutions, 2012). These examples are extreme, but the fact is that when the stressor does not relent then biological and psychological ware will happen (Butcher, Mineka, & Hooley, 2013). An emphasis on the mastery of one’s environment s more typical of highly technologically developed societies; other cultures emphasize harmony and natural order. Looking beyond the way that each culture functions there shows some commonality across cultures that would be conducive to the illness of depression. The prevalence of poverty contributing to depression is growing with an ever more technological world. “There are millions who are able to save but there are billions who have nothing to
References: Brainy Quote. (2013). Retrieved from http://Depression quotes. (2013). Retrieved from http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/keywords/depression.html Butcher, J. N., Mineka, S., & Hooley, J. M. (2013). Abnormal Psychology (15th ed.). Retrieved from The University of Phoenix eBook Collection database. Center for Demography and Ecology University of Wisconsin-Madison. (n.d.). Socioeconomic status and depression in live course perspective. Retrieved from http://www.ssc.wisc.edu/cde/cdewp/98-24.pdf Cross-Cultural Solutions. (2012). Volunteer abroad; International volunteer programs. Retrieved from http://www.crossculturalsolutions.org/?siteID=msn_cross_cultural&utm_source=msn&utm_medium=cpc Cherry, K. (2013). What is self-efficacy? Retrieved from http://psychology.about.com/od/theoriesofpersonality/a/self_efficacy.htm Kraft, M. (2013). Depressing quotations by famous people. Retrieved from http://www.poemofquotes.com/depressing-quotes.php Shiraev, E. B., & Levy, D. A. (2010). Cross-cultural psychology: Critical thinking and contemporary applications (4th ed.). Retrieved from The University of Phoenix eBook Collection database. World Health Organization. (2012). Depression. Retrieved from http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs369/en/index.html