Greater number of group identifications is associated with lower odds of being depressed: evidence from a Scottish community sample

Abstract

Purpose Group identification has been shown to be associated with reduced risk of depression, but this research has important limitations. Our aim was to establish a robust link between group identification and depression whilst overcoming previous studies' shortcomings. Methods 1824 participants, recruited from General Practice throughout Scotland, completed a questionnaire measuring their identification with three groups (family, community, and a group of their choice), as well as their intensity of contact with each group. They also completed a self-rated depression measure and provided demographic information. Their medical records were also accessed to determine if they had been prescribed antidepressants in the previous 6 months. Results The number of group identifications was associated with both lower self-rated depression and lower odds of having received a prescription for antidepressants, even after controlling for the number of contact-intensive groups, level of education, gender, age, and relationship status. Conclusions Identifying with multiple groups may help to protect individuals against depression. This highlights the potential importance of social prescriptions, where health professionals encourage a depressed patient to become a member of one or more groups with which the patient believes he/she would be likely to identify.

Stressful life transitions and wellbeing: A comparison of the stress buffering hypothesis and the social identity model of identity change

“…By contrast, there is now a wealth of evidence that multiple group memberships, and the social identities arising from them, are protective in a wide range of contexts, and for both vulnerable and less vulnerable populations (Crabtree, Haslam, Postmes & Haslam, 2010;Gleibs, Haslam, Haslam & Jones, 2011;Khan et al, 2014;Sani et al, 2015, Steffens, Haslam, Schuh, Jetten & van Dick, 2016. Instead, we can infer from the social identity model that there are two reasons why our studies, along with previous research, have found limited evidence for the stress buffering hypothesis -both relating to the measurement of social support.…”

“…Social identification has been proposed to be the "active ingredient" in social relationships that provides their protective benefit against depression. Indeed, social identification has been found to be more strongly associated with depression than social contact (Sani, Herrara, Wakefield, Boroch, & Gulyas, 2012;Sani, Madhok, Norbury, Dugard, & Wakefield, 2015). Joining a social group has been found to increase the likelihood of depression recovery and prevent relapse (Cruwys et al, 2013), with studies suggesting that social groups are therapeutic only when they are underpinned by social identification (Cruwys et al, 2014b).…”

On the Association Between Greater Family Identification and Lower Paranoid Ideation Among Non-Clinical Individuals: Evidence From Cypriot and Spanish Students

“…First, studies have already revealed a robust link between family identification and mental health. For instance, Sani, Herrera, Wakefield, Boroch, and Gulyas (2012) found a negative association between family identification and depression, satisfaction with life, and perceived stress in a community sample of Polish people, while Sani et al (2015b) recruited a large Scottish community sample and found family identification to contribute to lower odds of being depressed. Furthermore, Naughton, O'Donnell, and Muldoon (2015) found that greater identification with the extended family in young adults was related to a reduction in the detrimental effects of exposure to parental intimate partner violence on anxiety and self-esteem.…”

“…Group identification is a core human experience which encompasses one's feelings of belonging and connectedness to a social group, coupled with one's sense of sharing standards (values, ideals, goals) with the other members of the group (Sani, Madhok, Norbury, Dugard, & Wakefield, 2015a, 2015b. Importantly, social psychologists taking a social identity perspective on group processes (Haslam, 2004;Tajfel & Turner, 1986;Turner et al, 1987) have found group identification to be consequential for a variety of individual perceptions and behaviors.…”

Post-traumatic growth enhances social identification in liver transplant patients: A longitudinal study

“…Because to date researchers have used group identification exclusively as a predictor of psychological well-being outcomes rather than as a psychological well-being outcome itself [15,16,17], we will also assess the alternative possibility that greater identification with both the family group and the group of transplantees will lead to greater PTG over time.…”