A Study on Depression in Adults as Related to Sex, Socio-Economic Status and Residential Background

Abstract

This study deals with depression in adults. The independent variables were gender, socio-economic status and residential background. The dependent variable was amount of depression expressed by the males and females with reference to their socio-economic status and residential background. A total of 240 respondents constituted the sample of the present study. They were equally divided into males and females. Each subgroup was equally divided into high, middle and low socio-economic status. Each category was then equally divided into urban and rural on the basis of residence. The study described several theories of depression. These were (i) Learned helplessness theory, (ii) Defective social skill model, (iii) Development process model, (iv) Social class vulnerability model, (v) Cognitive model and (vi) Self-Control model. These theories of depression provided adequate explanation about the causes of depression. Relevant literature was also reviewed with proper care. Previous findings provide empirical support in favor of the present investigation. The study was based on several objectives. These are as follows: (1)To highlight the stage of life span as adulthood and to provide on analytical presentation of depressive affects 1n these stage of life span. (2) To provide a theoretical construct of depressive affects as mental disorder in the life style of old generation in Bangladesh. (3) To reflect on various agentic factors of depression for a comprehensive understanding of the phenomenon of depression. (4) To make a short review of previous empirical studies in its multi-facet aspects of depression. (5) To focus on gender discrimination in depressive affects. Thus depressive affects have been accumulated for empirical verification and analytic presentation of depressive disorder. (6) To study depressive affects in adult population as a function of high, middle and low socio-economic status. (7) To focus on residential background in terms of urban and rural origin as independent variable leading to the growth of functional inability and emotional instability and old age flexibility in the form of depressive affects. (8) To make a profile of relevant predisposing and precipitating factors associated with depressive mode of the adults in the social context of Bangladesh. 9) To survey the adult population in Bangladesh with reference to their old age problems, depressive affects and situational condition at homes. ( 10) To examine the empirical data relating to adult depression using statistical concepts and techniques. The present study was explorative in nature. In site of this several specific hypotheses were formulated. These are given below: H 1: Female respondents would express more depressive affects than the male respondents at their adult stage of life span H2: Respondents with low socio-economic status would express higher depressive affects followed by the respondents with middle socio-economic status and least by the respondents with high socio - economic status in the life cycle of adulthood. H3: Respondents with rural residential back ground would express more depressive affects than the respondents with urban residential background The study used Depressive Experiences Questionnaire for collection of data. A 2x3x2 factorial design involving two levels of gender (male / female), three levels of socio­economic status (high / middle / low) and two levels of residential background (urban / rural) was used in the study. The results were computed using analysis of Variance (ANOVA). The results provided support to all the hypotheses. It was found that females expressed more depression than males. Again, respondents with low socio­economic status expressed more depression than the respondents with high and middle socio-economic status. Lastly, respondents from rural residential background expressed more depression than the respondents from urban residential background.