ABSTRACT
Background: Quality of life and psychological well-being are readily hampered by depression. The changes that students face during college life impact their psychological health and well-being, including the emergence of mental health problems like depression Aim: To determine the relationship between depressive symptoms, sociodemographic parameters and psychological well-being in undergraduate university students. Material and Methods: Five hundred eighty university students of both sexes, from the Metropolitan and IX Regions of Chile answered the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI-IA) and the Ryff's psychological well-being scale. Results: Twenty eight percent of respondents had clinically significant depressive symptoms, and these were more frequent in women. There was an inverse and statistically significant relationship between psychological well-being and depressive symptoms. This fact was especially marked in dimensions of autonomy, positive relationships with others and purpose in life. Conclusions: There is a high frequency of depressive symptoms among these students. We discuss whether psychological well-being and depressive symptomatology represent two extremes within a continuum or they are two independent dimensions that can account for differential causal mechanisms linked to mental health and illness.
Subject(s)
Humans , Male , Female , Adolescent , Adult , Young Adult , Quality of Life/psychology , Students/psychology , Depression/epidemiology , Psychiatric Status Rating Scales , Socioeconomic Factors , Universities/statistics & numerical data , Chile/epidemiology , Sex Factors , Cross-Sectional Studies , Sex DistributionABSTRACT
Resumen El presente estudio explora la relación entre las dimensiones de personalidad dependiente y autocrítica, con los déficits emocionales, cognitivos y sociales asociados a la sintomatología depresiva. La muestra del estudio la conformaron 91 estudiantes universitarios pertenecientes a la Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile y a la Universidad de Chile, con edades comprendidas entre los 18 y 24 años. Para explorar el estado emocional de los participantes se utilizaron los test Inventario de Depresión de Beck (BDI) y Depressive Experiences Question naire (DEQ). Con el fin de evaluar el desempeño cognitivo, se utilizaron: una tarea tipo Stroop y la prueba de Tiempo de Reacción Serial (SSRT), y para evaluar el nivel de mentalización, la tarea de reconocimiento facial Reading the Mind in the Eyes Task (RMET) de Baron-Cohen. Se encontraron correlaciones significativas entre las dimensiones dependencia y autocrítica, la sintomatología depresiva y el desempeño cognitivo de los participantes.
Abstract This study examines the relationship between the dependent and self-criticism Cognitive dimensions of personality with emotional, cognitive and social deficits associated with depres-sive symptoms. The sample included 91 college students, aged 18 to 24, from Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile and Universidad de Chile. The Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) and the Depressive Experiences Questionnaire (DEQ) tests were used in order to explore the emotional state of the participants. A Stroop task and a Serial Reaction Time (SSRT) test were used in order to assess cognitive performance. In turn, the Reading the Mind in the Eyes Task (RMET) face recognition task, by Baron-Cohen, was used to assess the mentalising capacity. Sig nificant correlations were found between dependency and self-criticism dimensions, depressive symptoms and cognitive performance of the participant.
Subject(s)
Animals , Male , Female , Young Adult , Depression , Self-Assessment , Dependency, Psychological , Stroop TestABSTRACT
Background: Diverse and sustained efforts have been developed to improve the management of depression by general practitioners (GPs), but they have not improved treatment coverage and quality of services. Aim: To explore the level of knowledge and clinical skills to diagnose and treat depression by GPs in Primary Health Care (PHC) in the Metropolitan Area of Santiago de Chile (RM). Material and Methods: Theoretical knowledge (TK), diagnostic skills (DS) and treatment skills (TS) were evaluated in 56 GPs of the RM with a battery of specially designed instruments. Results: In TK there were significant differences between GPs aged 31 years or less and their older counterparts and between Chilean and foreign doctors. Five percent of observed differences in TK were explained by age and nationality, respectively. Chilean GPs achieved higher scores in recognition of symptoms (RS), one of the dimensions of DS. No significant differences by age or nationality were observed for DS and TS. Conclusions: Achievement of GPs on tests measuring TK, DS, and TS was generally below 50%. This deficiency should be improved.
Subject(s)
Humans , Male , Female , Adult , Clinical Competence , Depressive Disorder/diagnosis , General Practitioners/standards , Primary Health Care , Practice Patterns, Physicians' , Chile , Depressive Disorder/therapy , Quality ImprovementABSTRACT
Depression has a high impact on mental health. However its diagnosis is a challenge even for specialists. This problem derives from a failure in an adequate description and differentiation of the disease. This inadequate conceptualization generates these difficulties. Our thesis is that depression should be understood as a complex phenomenon that can be analyzed from multiple perspectives, from genes to behavior, including personality and interaction with the sociocultural environment. The aim of this paper is to review the psychopathological construct of depression from a multidimensional point of view, considering clinical, sociocultural, characterological and pathogenic variables. Finally we provide a proposal for an adequate diagnostic approach.