ReadingLIST

Abstract

Talking treatments are underused in England by working-class people: their higher rates of common mental disorders compared with their middle-class counterparts are not matched by an increased use of these treatments. Given that, overall, talking treatments are effective in tackling depression and anxiety, understanding their underuse is important. Based upon semi-structured interview data I argue that a framework centred on individuals' cultural dispositions towards treatment can help with this task.

Following Bourdieu, such dispositions can be traced to social structural conditioning factors, together comprising the habitus. Four key dispositions emerge from the data: verbalisation and introspection, impetus for emotional health, relation to medical authority and practical orientation to the future. In turn, these dispositions are rooted in the material, health, occupational and educational characteristics of working-class circumstances. Tracing these circumstances offers suggestions for increasing the use of this service.

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Abstract

Objectives: The current study aimed to examine: (1.1) causal beliefs about adolescent depression in a sample of adolescents with a clinical depression and their mothers and fathers; (1.2) within-family overlap of causal beliefs; (2.1) mothers' and fathers' reflected causal beliefs about their child's perspective; (2.2) the accuracy of mothers' and fathers' reflected causal beliefs as related to their child's causal beliefs.
Design: Qualitative study using a within-family approach.
Methods: Adolescents with a current clinical depression (MDD/dysthymia; N = 34) and their parents (N = 34 mothers, N = 26 fathers) were independently interviewed about their causal beliefs about the adolescents' depression. Parents were additionally interviewed about their perception of their child's causal beliefs (i.e., reflected causal beliefs).
Results: The causal beliefs most frequently mentioned by adolescents, mothers and fathers are: characteristics of the child, social factors, school and various stressful experiences. Parent-child overlap was relatively low, specifically for the themes of bewilderment, cumulative effect and stressful life events, whereas overlap was relatively high for themes of social factors, school and stressful experiences outside of the family. Parents were relatively accurate in their reflected causal beliefs, but tended to underestimate their child's insights into possible causes of their depression. Accuracy of parents' reflected causal beliefs was particularly low for the theme cumulative effect and high for social factors.

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Abstract

Previous studies report a preference for larger comfortable interpersonal distance (CIPD) in individuals with child maltreatment (CM) when being approached by others. Yet, research on approaching others, as opposed to being approached, as well as on potential effects of social anxiety and depression is lacking.

We investigated if CM and depressive symptoms influence CIPD and if social anxiety mediates the possible association of CM and CIPD when approaching a female stranger.

One hundred ten participants with CM (CM) and 58 participants without CM (non-CM) experiences performed the stop-distance paradigm and stopped first when feeling uncomfortable (D1) and again when feeling very uncomfortable (D2).

CM experiences were associated with a preference for larger CIPD, independent of depressive symptoms. All CM subtypes were associated with a larger D2. The relationship between CM and CIPD was partially mediated by social anxiety.

These novel findings can help to develop interventions strengthening socially relevant skills and processes in those affected by CM, targeting alterations in social anxiety and depression.

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