Hostname: page-component-745bb68f8f-v2bm5 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2025-02-01T23:42:31.316Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

A Factor-Analytical Study of Depression Across Cultures (African and European)

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  29 January 2018

Ayo Binitie
Ayo Binitie*
Affiliation:
University of Benin, Nigeria
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Summary

In a factor-analytical study of depression across two cultures, African and European, certain similarities and important differences were found. Depression in African cultures presented principally as depressed mood, somatic symptoms and motor retardation. In European cultures depression presented with depressed mood, guilt, suicidal ideas, motor retardation or anxiety. Both groups lost interest in work and the environment.

Guilt and suicidal ideas and acts are uncommon in African sample, and appear to be culturally determined.

Type
Papers
Information
The British Journal of Psychiatry , Volume 127 , Issue 6 , December 1975 , pp. 559 - 563
Copyright
Copyright © Royal College of Psychiatrists, 1975 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Assicot, M. M. (1961) Causes principales de morbidité psychiatrique chez les musulmans algériens. Hygiène Mentale, 5, 261–86. Abstract in Review and News Letter: Transcultural Research in Mental Health (ed. Wittkower, E. D. and Fried, J.) (1962) no. 13, 59–61.Google Scholar
Asuni, T. (1961) Suicide in Western Nigeria. In Conference Report of First Pan-African Psychiatric Conference (ed. Lambo, TA.).Google Scholar
Asuni, T. (1969) Homicide in Western Nigeria. Brit. J. Psychiat., 115, 1105–13.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Carothers, J. C. (1953) The African Mind in Health and Disease. WHO Monograph Series No. 17. Geneva.Google Scholar
Collomb, H. & Zwingelstein, J. (1962) Les états dépressifs en milieu africain. In Conference Reports First Pan-African Psychiatric Conference (ed. Lambo, T. A.).Google Scholar
Buchan, T. (1969) Depression in African patients. S. African med. J., 43, 1055–8.Google ScholarPubMed
El Islam, M. F. (1969) Depression and guilt: a study at an Arab psychiatric clinic. Social Psychiatry, 4(2), 56–8.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Field, M. J. (1958) Mental disorder in rural Ghana. J. ment. Sci., 104, 1043–51.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Field, M. J. (1960) Search for Security: An Ethno-psychiatric Study of Rural Ghana. London: Faber and Faber.Google Scholar
German, G. A. (1969) Psychiatric morbidity amongst Uganda student population. Brit. J. Psychiat., 115, 1323–9.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Gordon, H. L. (1936) An inquiry into the correlation of African civilization and mental disorder in the Kenya native. East Afr. med. J., 12, 327–35.Google Scholar
Greenlees, T. D. (1895) Insanity among the natives of South Africa. J. ment. Sci., 41, 71–8.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hamilton, M. (1960) A rating scale for depression. J. Neurol., Neurosurg. Psychiat., 23, 56–62.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Hamilton, M. (1969) Standardized assessment and recording of depressive symptoms. Psychiat. Neurol. Neurochir., 72, 201–5.Google ScholarPubMed
Kendell, R. E. et al. (1968) The reliability of the Present State Examination. Soc. Psychiat., 3, 123–5.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kraepelin, E. (1921) Manic-Depressive Insanity and Paranoia. (Translated by Mary Barclay, ). E. & S. Livingstone.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lambo, T. (1956) Neuro-psychiatric observations in the Western Region of Nigeria. Brit. med. J., ii, 1388–94.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lambo, T. (1960) Further neuro-psychiatric observations in Nigeria. Brit. med. J., ii, 1696–1704.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lamont, A. M. & Bignault, W. (1953) A study of male Bantu admissions to Weskopics during 1952. S. Afr. med. J., 27, 637.Google ScholarPubMed
Laubscher, B. J. F. (1937) Sex Custom and Psychopathology. Routledge & Kegan Paul. Reprinted 1951.Google Scholar
Leighton, A. H. et al. (1963) Psychiatric Disorder among the Yoruba. Cornell University Press.Google Scholar
Lewis, A. J. (1934a) Melancholia: a historical review. J. ment. Sci., 80, 1–42.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lewis, A. J. (1934b) Melancholia: a clinical survey of depressive states. J. ment. Sci., 80, 277.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lewis, A. J. (1936) Melancholia: prognostic study and case material. J. ment. Sci., 82, 488–588.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Moffson, A. (1955) A study of 400 consecutive male Bantu admissions to Weskoppies Hospital. S. Afir. med. J., 29, 689–92.Google Scholar
Shelley, H. & Watson, W. H. (1936) An investigation concerning mental disorder in Nyasaland natives. J. ment. Sci., 82, 701–30.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Smart, H. C. G. (1956) Mental maladjustment in the East African. J. ment. Sci., 102, 441–66.Google Scholar
Tooth, G. (1950) Studies of Mental Illness on the Gold Coast. Colonial Research Pub. No. 6. H.M.S.O. Google Scholar
Wing, J. K. (1966) The measurement of psychiatric diagnosis. Proc. Roy. Soc. Med., 59, 1030–2.Google ScholarPubMed
Wing, J. K. et al. (1967) The reliability of a procedure for measuring and classifying ‘Present Psychiatric State’. Brit. J. Psychiat., 113, 499–515.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Wing, J. K. (1970) A standard form of Present State Examination. In International Symposium on Psychiatric Epidemiology (eds. Hare, E. H. and Wing, J. K.). London: Oxford University Press.Google Scholar
Wintrob, (1967) A study of disillusionment: depressive reactions of Liberian students returning from advanced training abroad. Amer. J. Psychiat., 123, 1593–8.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Submit a response

eLetters

No eLetters have been published for this article.