Key idea: The same distress can be described through feelings or through the body, which changes how often depression is counted.
Ryder and colleagues (2008) compared outpatients with depression in China and in Canada. Chinese patients reported more bodily symptoms, such as tiredness and pain; Euro-Canadian patients reported more psychological symptoms, such as sadness and guilt.
Why rates differ: real
- Different levels of poverty and stress
- Different social support
- Different exposure to loss
Why rates differ: counted
- Stigma stops people reporting
- Symptoms expressed through the body
- Checklists made in one culture
Go further: higher-level insight: An emic step, asking how people describe distress, changes the etic numbers.
Free preview
This is the free notes preview
You're reading the free notes. Aimnova Pro unlocks the full study experience — and you can try it with your first topic free to keep:
- FlashcardsLock in vocabulary and key terms with spaced repetition.
- Practice questionsAnswer exam-style questions and get instant AI marking.
- Mock exams & past-paper vaultSit full mocks and see exactly how examiners award marks.
- Personalised study planA daily plan built around your exam date and weak areas.
Key idea: Treatment and prevention work better when they fit the community that uses them.
The Friendship Bench in Zimbabwe trains older community women, 'grandmothers', to give six sessions of problem-solving therapy on a bench outside a clinic. In a trial with 573 adults, Chibanda and colleagues (2016) found fewer depression symptoms after six months than with usual care.
Why it fits
- Trusted local helpers
- Local words for distress
- Cheap, outside a hospital
What to ask
- Would it transfer to other countries?
- How long do the gains last?
- Who checks the quality?