Back to Search
Start Over
The self-stigma of depression for women.
- Source :
-
International Journal of Social Psychiatry . Sep2012, Vol. 58 Issue 5, p512-520. 9p. - Publication Year :
- 2012
-
Abstract
- Background: Self-stigmatizing women who avoid seeking treatment for depression could believe that they have pragmatic personal reasons for their decision. As a preliminary step towards testing this hypothesis, the aim of this study was to assess diverse, low-income working women for shared self-stigmatizing beliefs about depression. Methods: Depression and depression self-stigma were assessed in a targeted sample of African American, Caucasian and Latina women who qualify for public health services and have access to health care services. Results: Depression and self-stigmatizing beliefs about depression were positively correlated (r = .30-.64). Over one third of the women in the study (37.5%) said they would do what they could to keep their depression secret. Over half (55%) indicated that the person they normally would disclose depression to is their best friend. A majority (80%) of the women in the study said they would choose not to disclose personal depression to a health care professional. Pairwise t tests for group differences showed that Caucasian women, women recently seen by a health care professional and women with more years of education had higher self-stigma scores. Conclusion: Self-stigmatizing women who feel depressed could knowingly decide to keep their depression secret with the hope of avoiding loss. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
Details
- Language :
- English
- ISSN :
- 00207640
- Volume :
- 58
- Issue :
- 5
- Database :
- Academic Search Index
- Journal :
- International Journal of Social Psychiatry
- Publication Type :
- Academic Journal
- Accession number :
- 79442776
- Full Text :
- https://doi.org/10.1177/0020764011409820