A survey of attitudes to depression in the general public: A comparison of age and gender differences

Connery, Hazel; Davidson, Kate

doi:10.1080/09638230600608818

Cited by 27 publications

(28 citation statements)

References 22 publications

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“…Specifically, the relatively younger sample of adult children may have been more likely to attribute LLD to causes outside of the patient's control (e.g., biological factors or environmental stressors), whereas stigma related to depression may explain the greater likelihood of controllability attributions made by spouses. These findings are consistent with previous research indicating that, relative to younger adults, older adults may be less likely to recognize depression and more likely to attribute depression to personal blame or responsibility (Connery & Davidson, ). Alternatively, these differential patterns between spouses and adult children may be related to qualitative differences between the two family relationships.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 91%

Caregiver Attributions for Late‐Life Depression and Their Associations with Caregiver Burden

Polenick

Martire

2013

Family Process

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Late-life depression (LLD) has detrimental effects on family caregivers that may be compounded when caregivers believe that depressive behaviors are volitional or within the patient’s capacity to control. In this study we examined three person-centered caregiver attributions that place responsibility for LLD on the patient (i.e., character, controllability, and intention), and the impact of such attributions on levels of general caregiver burden and burden specific to patient depressive symptoms. Participants were 212 spouses and adult children of older adults enrolled in a depression treatment study. Over one third of caregivers endorsed character attributions, which significantly predicted greater levels of both general and depression-specific burden. Intention attributions were significantly associated with general burden, but not depression-specific burden. Contrary to our expectation, controllability attributions did not predict either type of burden. Our findings suggest that the assessment of family caregiver attributions for LLD may be useful in identifying caregivers at risk for burden and subsequent health effects, as well as those who may need education and support to provide effective care to a vulnerable population of older adults.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 91%

Caregiver Attributions for Late‐Life Depression and Their Associations with Caregiver Burden

Polenick

Martire

2013

Family Process

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“…Age differences were also reported for schizophrenia in this study, with adults in the oldest age less able to correctly recognise schizophrenia than adults aged 40–54 years (24.1% vs. 46.9%, respectively). In another study, participants under 65 years were more likely to recognise symptoms of depression as indicative of a mental illness, than people over 65 years . In the study of Wetherell et al, older participants classified fewer anxiety and depressive symptoms correctly than younger participants.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 93%

“…Socio‐demographic variables, including being female, more educated, married and younger older adults, were associated with better MHL in general, and mental health recognition in particular. Overall, formal years of education appear to be the most influential demographic factor in this regard .…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 97%

“…Eighty‐eight percent of participants correctly identified the person in the vignette as depressed . Furthermore, when participants were generally asked whether the protagonist might be suffering from a mental illness (without specifying which mental disorder), their overall agreement score with this statement was rather fair . Of all nine studies in this category, only one quantitative vignette study focused on dementia literacy and described recognition rates of 80% among older adults …”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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How well do older adults recognise mental illness? A literature review

et al. 2019

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Older adults tend to underutilise mental health services. Mental health literacy plays a critical role in identifying and overcoming barriers to accessing mental health care. The ability to recognise mental illness is an essential component of mental health literacy, with important implications to whether the person will seek professional help. We conducted a review of the literature on older adults’ abilities to recognise mental illness. Of the 421 papers that were retrieved in the comprehensive search in PubMed, 32 studies met inclusion criteria. Studies were heterogeneous in terms of target population and methodology, yet findings show that older adults are less likely to correctly recognise mental disorders. Cueing older participants with mental labels improved their recognition abilities. Recognition was particularly poor among immigrant and ethnic/racial older adults, likely due to linguistic and cultural barriers. Our findings demonstrate that older adults show low levels of mental illness recognition and tend to view some illnesses as normal parts of aging. Findings emphasise the need for developing educational programs tailored by the specific phenomenology, conceptualisations and cultural meanings of mental illness among older adults, with attention to informal sources of information and social networks.

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“…Within current clinically oriented research, this order of understanding, particularly prevalent among older adults (Connery and Davidson, 2006), is generally taken to be itself based on internalized information relating to depression, and to depressed people, which is (a) negative, (b) factually-limited and/ or distorted, and (c) globalizing (Tanney et al, 2012;Simmons et al, 2015;Wimsatt et al, 2015). To this extent, clinical guidelines in the United Kingdom actively acknowledge obstacles that healthcare practitioners may encounter when diagnosing or treating a patient with depression, cautioning that General Practitioners (henceforth GPs) in particular should "…be aware that stigma and discrimination can be associated with a diagnosis of depression."…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Depression, rational identity and the educational imperative: concordance-finding in tricky diagnostic moments

Miller

Richardson

2017

Palgrave Commun

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It is well-documented, within most medical and much health psychology, that many individuals find diagnoses of depression confusing or even objectionable. Within a corpus of research and practical clinical guidance dominated by the social-cognitive paradigm, the explanation for resistance to a depression diagnosis (or advice pertaining to it) within specific interactions is bordering on the canonical; patients misunderstand depression itself, often as an output of an associated social stigma that distorts public knowledge. The best way to overcome corollary resistance in situ is, logically thus, taken to be a clarification of the true (clinical) nature of depression. In this paper, exploring the diagnosis of depression in UK primary care contexts, the social-cognitive position embedded in contemporary medical reasoning around this matter is critically addressed. It is firstly highlighted how, even in a great deal of extant public health research, the link between an individual holding "correct" medical knowledge and being actively compliant with it is far from inevitable. Secondly, and with respect to concerns around direct communication in clinical contexts, a body of research emergent of Discursive Psychology and Conversation Analysis is explored so as to shed light on how non-cognitive concerns (not least those around the local interactional management of a patient's social identity) that can inform the manner in which ostensibly "tricky" medical talk plays-out in practice, especially in cases where a mental illness is at stake. Finally, observations are drawn together in a formal Discursive Psychological analysis of a small but highly illustrative sample of three cases where a depression diagnosis is initially questioned or disputed by a patient in primary care but, following further in-consultation activity, concordance with the diagnosis is ultimately reached -a specific issue hitherto unaddressed in either DP or CA fields. These cases specifically reveal the coordinative attention of interlocutors to immediate concerns regarding how the patient might maintain a sense of being an everyday and rational witness to their own lives; indeed, the very act of challenging the diagnosis emerges as a means by which a patient can open up conversational space within the consultation to address such issues. While the veracity of the social-cognitive model is not deemed to be without foundation herein, it is concluded that attention to local interactional concerns might firstly be accorded, such that the practical social concerns and skills of practitioners and patients alike might not be overlooked in the endeavour to produce generally applicable theories.

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A survey of attitudes to depression in the general public: A comparison of age and gender differences

Cited by 27 publications

References 22 publications

Caregiver Attributions for Late‐Life Depression and Their Associations with Caregiver Burden

Caregiver Attributions for Late‐Life Depression and Their Associations with Caregiver Burden

How well do older adults recognise mental illness? A literature review

Depression, rational identity and the educational imperative: concordance-finding in tricky diagnostic moments

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