Stressful life events as risk factor of major depression in women

Pages: 1119-1122
Jaya Bharti and Manini Srivastava (Department of Psychology, University of Lucknow, Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh)

The present study examined the role of stressful life events as risk factor in the etiology of Major Depression in women. The sample consisted of 100 married women having different symptoms of Major Depression and had been referred by Psychiatrist of Private psychiatric hospitals and clinics. The age range of the sample was 45 to 68 years and belonged to upper middle, middle, and lower middle socioeconomic class. Convenience sampling technique was used to select the sample. The Social Readjustment Rating Scale (Holmes & Rahe, 1967) was used to assess the number of stressful life events that had occurred before diagnosis in the past 12 years. As being informed about the final Major Depression diagnosis, patients might be more prone to report their prior stress in an effort to explain their disease The chi-square analyses were computed to test the significance of difference between the two groups, that is Major Depression and participants without Major Depression after the final diagnosis. Results showed that Women with Major Depression reported significantly higher number of stressful life events than the healthy participants. Results further demonstrated that Women with Major Depression perceived higher levels of stress due to these events than the healthy participants. The findings conclude that adverse life events and the resulting stress on account of these events may represent a risk factor for Major Depression in women.