IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/socmed/v65y2007i2p173-186.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Psychosocial resources and depression among chronically ill young adults: Are males more vulnerable?

Author

Listed:
  • Kiviruusu, Olli
  • Huurre, Taina
  • Aro, Hillevi

Abstract

This population-based study examined the association between chronic illness and depression and the role of psychosocial resources (coping styles, locus of control (LOC) and social support) in this association, among young Finnish adults aged 32. Gender differences in these phenomena were also investigated. The study was based on questionnaire data from a Finnish cohort study. Participants with self-reported chronic illness (e.g. diabetes, asthma, migraine) were grouped together (n=257) and compared to healthy controls (n=664). The results showed that the chronically ill males were more depressed than healthy control males. They also used more emotion-focused coping, had a more external LOC and were less often married or cohabiting than healthy males. The association between chronic illness and depression among males attenuated when the effects of emotion-focused coping disposition and LOC were taken into account, indicating a possible mediating role for these resources. Among females no differences were found in depression or psychosocial resources between the chronically ill and healthy control groups. Psychosocial resources, especially LOC, explained the gender difference in the association between chronic illness and depression. Only a few buffering effects of psychosocial resources emerged: an active problem-solving coping disposition among the chronically ill males and perceived social support among the chronically ill females seemed to act as buffers against depression. The results indicated a significant gender disparity in the association between chronic illness and depression among young adults and emphasised the role of psychosocial resources in this context. With regard to prevention we suggest that, chronically ill young adult males should be recognised as a risk group for depression that would probably benefit from guidance in learning more active coping skills and maintaining a sense of personal control in facing chronic physical illness.

Suggested Citation

  • Kiviruusu, Olli & Huurre, Taina & Aro, Hillevi, 2007. "Psychosocial resources and depression among chronically ill young adults: Are males more vulnerable?," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 65(2), pages 173-186, July.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:socmed:v:65:y:2007:i:2:p:173-186
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0277-9536(07)00079-2
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Verhaak, Peter F. M. & Heijmans, Monique J. W. M. & Peters, Loe & Rijken, Mieke, 2005. "Chronic disease and mental disorder," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 60(4), pages 789-797, February.
    2. Hänninen, Vilma & Aro, Hillevi, 1996. "Sex differences in coping and depression among young adults," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 43(10), pages 1453-1460, November.
    3. Vilhjalmsson, Runar, 1998. "Direct and indirect effects of chronic physical conditions on depression: A preliminary investigation," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 47(5), pages 603-611, September.
    4. Schnittker, Jason, 2005. "Chronic illness and depressive symptoms in late life," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 60(1), pages 13-23, January.
    5. Bisschop, M. Isabella & Kriegsman, Didi M. W. & Beekman, Aartjan T. F. & Deeg, D.J.H.Dorly J. H., 2004. "Chronic diseases and depression: the modifying role of psychosocial resources," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 59(4), pages 721-733, August.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. West, Jessica S., 2017. "Hearing impairment, social support, and depressive symptoms among U.S. adults: A test of the stress process paradigm," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 192(C), pages 94-101.
    2. Mandemakers, Jornt J. & Monden, Christiaan W.S., 2010. "Does education buffer the impact of disability on psychological distress?," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 71(2), pages 288-297, July.
    3. Siqin Wang & Yan Liu & Jack Lam & Zhe Gao, 2021. "Chronic Illness, Subjective Wellbeing, and Health Services Availability: A Study of Older Adults in Australia," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(15), pages 1-15, July.
    4. Mi‐Young Kang & Caroline Ellis‐Hill, 2015. "How do people live life successfully with Parkinson's disease?," Journal of Clinical Nursing, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 24(15-16), pages 2314-2322, August.
    5. Kathrin Heinitz & Timo Lorenz & Daniel Schulze & Julia Schorlemmer, 2018. "Positive organizational behavior: Longitudinal effects on subjective well-being," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 13(6), pages 1-15, June.
    6. Mieke Rijken & Sandra Beek, 2011. "About Cats and Dogs … Reconsidering the Relationship Between Pet Ownership and Health Related Outcomes in Community-Dwelling Elderly," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 102(3), pages 373-388, July.
    7. Mathias Steinach & Eberhard Kohlberg & Martina Anna Maggioni & Stefan Mendt & Oliver Opatz & Alexander Stahn & Hanns-Christian Gunga, 2016. "Sleep Quality Changes during Overwintering at the German Antarctic Stations Neumayer II and III: The Gender Factor," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 11(2), pages 1-32, February.
    8. Clara Maestre-Miquel & Ana López-de-Andrés & Zichen Ji & Javier de Miguel-Diez & Arturo Brocate & Sara Sanz-Rojo & Antonio López-Farre & David Carabantes-Alarcon & Rodrigo Jiménez-García & José J. Zam, 2021. "Gender Differences in the Prevalence of Mental Health, Psychological Distress and Psychotropic Medication Consumption in Spain: A Nationwide Population-Based Study," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(12), pages 1-15, June.
    9. Huanhuan Zhu & Lin Pan & Yiji Li & Huiming Jin & Qian Wang & Xin Liu & Cong Wang & Peng Liao & Xinyang Jiang & Luo Li, 2021. "Spatial Accessibility Assessment of Prehospital EMS with a Focus on the Elderly Population: A Case Study in Ningbo, China," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(19), pages 1-17, September.
    10. Shinya Ito & Mie Sasaki & Satoko Okabe & Nobuhiro Konno & Aya Goto, 2018. "Depressive Symptoms and Associated Factors in Female Students in Fukushima Four Years after the Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant Disaster," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 15(11), pages 1-11, October.
    11. Francesco Ruotolo & Gennaro Ruggiero & Zaira Cattaneo & Maria Arioli & Michela Candini & Francesca Frassinetti & Francesca Pazzaglia & Ferdinando Fornara & Andrea Bosco & Tina Iachini, 2023. "Psychological Reactions during and after a Lockdown: Self-Efficacy as a Protective Factor of Mental Health," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(17), pages 1-15, August.
    12. Jaroslav Petru & Eva Jarosova, 2019. "Exploring Impact of Coping Approaches on Intrinsic Perceived Overall Wellness: A Study of Executives and Senior Managers in Czech Republic," Central European Business Review, Prague University of Economics and Business, vol. 2019(3), pages 54-68.
    13. Patrick Peretti-Watel, 2006. "Lien social et santé en situation de précarité : état de santé, recours aux soins, abus d'alcool et réseau relationnel parmi les usagers des services d'aide," Économie et Statistique, Programme National Persée, vol. 391(1), pages 115-130.
    14. Hava Tovel & Sara Carmel, 2014. "Maintaining Successful Aging: The Role of Coping Patterns and Resources," Journal of Happiness Studies, Springer, vol. 15(2), pages 255-270, April.
    15. Chokkanathan, Srinivasan, 2009. "Resources, stressors and psychological distress among older adults in Chennai, India," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 68(2), pages 243-250, January.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:socmed:v:65:y:2007:i:2:p:173-186. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/wps/find/journaldescription.cws_home/315/description#description .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.