The Perceptions and Self-management of Depressive Symptoms in Men: A Qualitative Study in a Province of Northeastern Thailand
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.48048/tis.2022.2190Keywords:
Perceptions, Management, Depression, Men, Northeast ThailandAbstract
Men and women may experience depression very differently. The previous studies found that women expressed emotional distress mean that they were more likely to be diagnosed with depression, while some men with depression tried to hide their emotions, so causing them to have delayed treatment. This qualitative research aimed to study the perception and management of depressive symptoms in Thai males before receiving treatment with psychiatric specialists. The participants who were diagnosed major depressive disorders and dysthymic disorders were 23 men by purposive sampling was used. Data were collected through in-depth interviews by a semi-structured interview, which was based on literature review and it was verified by advisor, the second author who experienced of qualitative study. Analyzed by content analysis based on the process of Colaizzi. The finding revealed that the perception and management of depressive symptoms were divided into 3 phases. Phrase 1 was the perception of abnormal symptoms affecting daily activities but an attempt to hide it and struggling for a normal life. Phrase 2 showed that Thai men’s perception of symptoms were thinking too much, ruminative thought causing suffering, and then trying to release the suffering and control ruminative thought. Phrase 3 was the perception of loneliness, hopelessness, suicidal thoughts, and then trying to seek help. Healthcare providers can use the findings as information for developing screening tools specific to Thai men. The information can also be used to develop psycho-education tools for close ones or family members to recognize and understand early symptoms so that care, assistance and access to treatment can be provided before severe depression is developed. The research was only carried out in 1 area, the results could not be generalized, besides that it could have multiple meanings or be biased if it was carried out in other areas with different cultures.
HIGHLIGHTS
- Men and women may express symptoms of depression differently, women expressed emotional distress which meant that they were more likely to be diagnosed with depression, while some men with depression tried to hide their emotions
- The finding revealed that the perception and management of depressive symptoms were divided into 3 phases according to the duration and the perceived severity of the symptoms
- Phrase 1 was the perception of abnormal symptoms affecting daily activities but an attempt to hide it and struggling for a normal life. Phrase 2 showed that Thai men’s perception of symptoms were thinking too much, ruminative thought causing suffering, and then trying to release the suffering and control ruminative thought. Phrase 3 was the perception of loneliness, hopelessness, suicidal thoughts, and then trying to seek help
Downloads
References
World Health Organization. WHO on suicide prevention, Available at: http://www.who.int/mental_health/prevention/suicide/suicideprevent/en/, accessed August 2017.
Asian News International. World mental health day: Depression to be the biggest cause of ill health by 2030, says WHO, Available at: https://www.indiatoday.in/education-today/gk-current-affairs/story/world-mental-health-day-depression-suicide-prevention-who-1607866-2019-10-10, accessed September 2020.
Depression Research and Information Center. Report on access to depressive patients, Available at: http://www.thaidepression.com/www/report/main_report/, accessed May 2020.
World Federation for Mental Health. Depression: A global crisis world mental health day, Available at: https://www.who.int/mental_health/management/depression/wfmh_paper_depression_wmhd_ 2012.pdf, accessed August 2017.
P Kittirattanapaiboon, N Tantirangsee, W Chutha, A Tanaree, P Kwansanit and S Assanangkornchai. Prevalence of mental disorders and mental health problems: Thai national mental health survey 2013. J. Ment. Health Thai 2017; 25, 1-19.
AB Rochlen, DA Paterniti, RM Epstein, P Duberstein, L Willeford and RL Kravitz. Barriers in diagnosing and treating men with depression: A focus group report. Am. J. Men’s Health 2010; 4, 167-75.
JL Oliffe, PM Galdas, CS Han and MT Kelly. Faux masculinities among college men who experience depression. Health (London) 2023; 17, 75-92.
Kendrick, NLR Anderson and B Moore. Perceptions of depression among young African American men. Fam. Commun. Health 2007; 30, 6373.
K Bryant. 2008, The impact of depression on middle-aged African American men: A grounded theory approach. Ph. D. Dissertation. Azusa Pacific University, Azusa, California.
D Christopher, JM Greenfeld, ST Greenberg, SJ Shepard, SV Cochran and JT Haley. A qualitative investigation of depression in men. Psychol. Men Masculin. 2009; 10, 302-13.
A Brown, U Scales, W Beever, B Rickards, K Rowley and K O’Dea. Exploring the expression of depression and distress in aboriginal men in central Australia: A qualitative study. BMC Psychiatr. 2012; 12, 97.
SJ Borowsky, LV Rubenstein, LS Meredith LS, P Camp, M Jackson-Triche and KB wells. Who is at risk of nondetection of mental health problems in primary care? J. Gen. Intern. Med. 2000; 15, 381-8.
W Affleck, V Carmichael and R Whitley. Men’s mental health: Social determinants and implications for services. Can. J. Psychiatr. 2018; 63, 581-9.
DL Hudson, J Eaton, A Banks, W Sewell and H Neighbors. “Down in the sewers”: Perceptions of depression and depression care among African American men. Am. J. Men’s Health 2018; 12, 126-37.
ME Addis. Gender and depression in men. Clin. Psychol. Sci. Prac. 2008; 15, 153-68.
J Angst, A Gamma, M Gastpar, JP Lépine, J Mendlewicz and A Tylee. Gender differences in depression. Eur. Arch. Psychiatr. Clin. Neurosci. 2002; 252, 201-9.
S Krumm, C Checchia, M Koesters, R Kilian and T Becker. Men’s Views on depression: A systematic review and metasynthesis of qualitative research. Psychopathology 2017; 50, 107-24.
RF Levant, DG Stefanov, TJ Rankin, MJ Halter, C Mellinger and CM Williams. Moderated path analysis of the relationships between masculinity and men’s attitudes toward seeking psychological help. J. Couns. Psychol. 2013; 60, 392-406.
ZE Seidler, AJ Dawes, SM Rice, JL Oliffe and HM Dhillon. The role of masculinity in men’s help-seeking for depression: A systematic review. Clin. Psychol. Rev. 2016; 49, 106-18.
L Lynch, M Long and A Moorhead. Young men, help‐seeking, and mental health services: Exploring barriers and solutions. Am. J. Men’s Health 2018; 12, 138-49.
I Sagar‐Ouriaghli, E Godfrey, L Bridge, L Meade and JL Brown. Improving mental health service utilization among men: a systematic review and synthesis of behavior change techniques within interventions targeting help‐seeking. Am. J. Men’s Health 2019; 13, 138-49.
A Keohane and N Richardson. Negotiating gender norms to support men in psychological distress. Am. J. Men’s Health 2018; 12, 160-71.
B Spillman. 2006, Men’s experiences of depression: A phenomenological investigation. Ph. D. Dissertations. University of Tennessee, Knoxville, USA.
R Rungreankulkij, I Kotnara, W Kittiwatanapaisan and S Arunpongpaisal. Loss of control: experiences of depression in Thai men. Walailak J. Sci. Tech. 2019; 16, 265-74.
JL Johnson, JL Oliffe, MT Kelly, P Galdas and JS Ogrodniczuk. Men’s discourses of help-seeking in the context of depression. Sociol. Health Illness 2012; 34, 345-61.
H Ritchie and M Roser. Mental health, Available at: from https://ourworldindata.org/mental-health, accessed August 2018.
S Brownhill, K Wilhelm, L Barclay and V Schmied. ‘Big build’: Hidden depression in men. Aust. New Zeal. J. Psychiatr. 2005; 39, 921-31.
U Danielsson and EE Johansson. Beyond weeping and crying: A gender analysis of expressions of depression. Scand. J. Prim. Health Care 2005; 23, 171-7.
GA Shosha. Employment of colaizzi’s strategy in descriptive phenomenology: A reflection of a researcher. Eur. Sci. J. 2010; 8, 31-43.
N Kaewjanta and S Rungreangkulki. Working-age northeastern Thai males’ perception of causes of depression. J. Thai. Nurs. Midwifery Counc. 2021; 35, 18-34.
S Rungreangkulkij. Depression in men: Gender lens. Songklanagarind J. Nurs. 2017; 37, 158-65.
N Rodsup. Patriarchy: The reflection of the inequality between male and female in Asian society. J. Res. Dev. Buriram Rajabhat Univ. 2012; 4, 30-46.
N Kaewjanta. 2020, The adaptation process of Isan, Thai men with major depression: A grounded theory approach. Ph. D. Dissertation. Khon Kaen University, Khon Kaen, Thailand.
EL Whittle, AS Fogarty, S Tugendrajch, MJ Player, H Christensen, K Wilhelm, D Hadzi-Pavlovic and J Proudfoot. Men, depression, and coping: Are we on the right path. Psychol. Men Masculin. 2015; 16, 426-38.
S Rungreankulkij, I Kotnara, W Kittiwatanapaisan and S Arunpongpaisal. Depressive disorder: Gender analysis of depression. J. Nurs. Sci. Health. 2012; 35, 21-30.
Ohio University. Mindfulness, Available at: https://www.ohio.edu/studentaffairs/counseling/ mindfulness, accessed October 2020.
C Dowrick. Depression as a culture-bound syndrome: implications for primary care. Brit. J. Gen. Pract. 2013; 63, 229-30.
ZF Khalaf, WY Low, B Ghorbani and EM Khoei. Perception of masculinity amongst young Malaysian men: A qualitative study of university students. BMC Publ. Health 2013; 13, 1062-70.
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
