Depressive Symptoms among American and Indian College Students

The current study was designed to examine depression in relations to gender, sex-role orientation and hopelessness. 142 American college students and 200 Indian college students were administered Beck-Depression Inventory, Beck-hopelessness Scale and Bem Sex Role Inventory. In this study hopelessness emerged as the most salient factor underlying depressive tendencies in college students across sex and culture. The study concluded that high hopelessness may be considered as a legitimate target for therapeutic intervention. In the past few decades, much research as well as numerous popular books, articles and commercial intervention services have emerged in the area of depression because its prevalence is increasing at an alarming rate in most geographical areas of the world. The most significant features of researches in the area of depression in the recent past, include, first of all, the growing scien-tific and clinical conviction that there is a sharp increase in the incidence of depression in adolescent years ( Charoensuk, 2007; Essau & Petermann, 2000;Koenig, Isaacs, & Schwartz, 1994; Upmanyu & Upmanyu, 1994; Brooks-Gunn & Petersen, 1991; Rutter, 1991; Kashani et al. 1987). Second, gender differences in the prevalence, severity, and expression of depressive -tenden-cies are also well. documented during adolescence and adulthood (Rudoph & Clonley, 2005; Kim, 2005; Kovas et al. 2003; Casper, Belanoff, & Offer, 1996; Koenig, Isaacs, &. Schwartz, 1994; Baron & Peixoto, 1991; Allgood-Merten, Lewinsohn, & Hops, 1990; NolenHoeksema, 1990; Kandel & Davis, 1982; Teri, 1982)