Back to Annual Meeting Page		American Public Health Association 133rd Annual Meeting & Exposition December 10-14, 2005 Philadelphia, PA

Abstract #113036

Jason T. Siegel, PhD¹, Eusebio M. Alvaro, PhD, MPH¹, and Sara Pace Jones, BA². (1) Psychology Department, Claremont Graduate University, 2424 E. Broadway, Suite 200, Tucson, AZ 85719, 520-620-0641, Jason.Siegel@cgu.edu, (2) Donor Network of Arizona, 201 W. Coolidge St., Phoenix, AZ 85013

Intro Little has been written concerning Hispanics perception of depressive behavior. Weiner's attribution theory proposes one's willingness to help another can be predicted by the attributions made about the person in despair. However, little is know about attributions made by Hispanics regarding depression; less is known about how perceptions differ based on level of Spanish-Language-Dominance. Methods Only Hispanics participated in this telephone-based-survey (n = 1,000). Respondents resided in Phoenix, AZ and Las Vegas, NV. In accord with attribution theory, respondents were asked five items: three focused on the level of control a depressed person has over his/her situation and two focused on the permanence of depression. Questions were also asked to determine the respondents' dominant-language. Results Overall, approximately 45% agreed depressed people were responsible for how they feel, 60% agreed depressed people could stop being depressed if they really wanted, and 45% agreed depressed people could control their feelings. Further, 19.2% agreed that depressed people would always be depressed and 74% agreed that depressed individuals could be helped so that they are no longer depressed. When the sample was divided by language dominance, independent sample t-tests revealed Spanish-Language-Dominant Hispanics were significantly more likely to agree with all three items stating that depressed individuals could control their depression. Spanish-Language-Dominant Hispanics were also significantly more likely to agree that depressed people would always be depressed. Non-Spanish-Language-Dominant respondents were significantly more likely to agree depressed individuals could be helped so that they are no longer depressed.

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