Psychological strains and depression in Chinese rural populations

Abstract

Objective: The aim of this study is to explore the relationship between psychological strains and depression and to further test the Strain Theory of Suicide and Mental Disorders. Method: Data for the current study were from a large psychological autopsy (PA) study in Chinese rural populations with a case-control design to investigate the environmental and other characteristics of rural young suicides and controls. Subjects (N = 1618) for the current study were the informants in the PA interviews. The center for epidemiologic studies depression scale was used to assess the respondents’ depression level. Chi-square , t test, t′ test, and general linear regression model were used to analyse the data by SPSS software. Results: Value strain and deprivation strain are positively correlated with the depression level for both men and women of the Chinese rural population. Religion is another strong risk factor for depression and marriage is not a protective factor for depression in this sample. Conclusions: The study verifies that there is strong correlation between the psychological strains and depression in Chinese rural populations. It is suggested that reducing psychological strains may be a possible approach to reduce the prevalence of depression so as to help bring down the suicide risk in rural China.

Keywords:

• psychological strains
• depression
• Chinese rural populations

Acknowledgements

This research was supported by a grant of US NIMH: R01 MH068560. We thank our research collaborators in Liaoning, Hunan, and Shandong Provinces of China. We also thank all interviewees for their unique contribution to the study.