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Social support, coping and help-seeking attitudes: Decisions to seek treatment for symptoms of depression
Abstract
This research examined effects of social support on depression and effects of social support, attitudes toward help-seeking, and coping style on help-seeking of individuals with depressive symptoms. Cross-sectional data were from a sample of 381 respondents who completed personal interviews after being selected randomly for telephone interviews in a study of 2,548 subjects. Depressive symptoms and help-seeking for depression used in Stages 1 and 2 were limited to the last year in order to be proximal in time to the measures of social support. Results from the first stage analysis using multiple regression supported the hypothesis that social support relates inversely to the occurrence of depressive symptoms only for the measure of intimates. This finding was generally consistent with previous research and with the theoretical expectation that close relationships are critical to psychological well-being. The effects of network size, network density, and living with another person were not significant. The significant, negative association of age, education, and family income (control variables) was also consistent with previous research. Results from the second stage of the analysis using logistic regression did not support the hypotheses that social support would have direct and indirect effects on help-seeking for depressive symptoms and that help-seeking would vary as a function of the interaction of depressive symptoms and social support. None of the social support measures used in this study were significant after controlling for depressive symptoms for either the sample of 381 or the sample of 51 respondents with at least one depressive symptom reportable within the last year. Due to limitations in symptom number and type included in the measure of need, further research is suggested. Descriptive analysis of help-seeking for 41 respondents meeting DSM III-R criteria for major depression indicated that the majority had professional contact although barriers to help-seeking including affordability; availability of suitable, effective, trustworthy services; contextual and individual characteristics were identified.
Subject Area
Sociology|Psychotherapy
Recommended Citation
Craft, Betty J, "Social support, coping and help-seeking attitudes: Decisions to seek treatment for symptoms of depression" (1993). ETD collection for University of Nebraska-Lincoln. AAI9415956.
https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/dissertations/AAI9415956