Perception of depression in selected social groups

Journal Title: Medycyna Ogólna i Nauki o Zdrowiu - Year 2015, Vol 21, Issue 3

Abstract

Introduction. Currently, about 450 million people worldwide suffer from depression. objective. The objective of the study was assessment of the perception of depression by teachers and nurses. Materials and methods. The study included 100 nurses and 100 teachers, conducted using a questionnaire designed by the author, which consisted of 38 items. results. According to 93.5% of the total number of respondents, depression may be contracted at any age, 83% of them mentioned that morbidity increases, 77% – that this is a serious disease, 78% – depression is curable, 61.5% – profession may exert an effect on morbidity due to depression, 58.5% – this is an embarrassing disease. The population groups most vulnerable to depression were considered those related with education (59.3%) and health care staff (52%). 76.8% of respondents declared a positive attitude towards patients with depression. In the opinions of 77% of respondents, depression is accompanied by cancer; 51 respondents were aware that there are special scales for the measurement of depression; 73% evaluated their level of knowledge as mediocre; and 83.5% considered their knowledge concerning depression as useful. The respondents obtained their knowledge concerning depression mainly from the media (66.5%) and the Internet (60.5%); 61% of respondents reported that they would like to expand their knowledge; however, only 21.5% of them specified the scope of this knowledge. 87% of respondents saw a psychologist in the role of an educator in the area of depression. Conclusions. In opinions of the majority of respondents, depression is a health problem in Polish society, and the incidence of depression in Poland has been increasing in recent years. Nurses had a considerably better knowledge of depression than teachers. A statistically significant relationship was observed between the profession performed and knowledge about depression. No significant relationship was found between past depression, and the attitude towards the person suffering from depression.key words nurses, teachers, depression, knowledge

Authors and Affiliations

Anna Kużel, Elżbieta Krajewska-Kułak, Joanna Śmigielska-Kuzia

Keywords

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