Mo,
Thanks for your comments. What you say opens up the important debate of
objectivity applied to human experience. Clinicians would argue that there
is an objective assessment of anxiety and depression and that two (or more)
people can be graded against each other in terms of how much. Further they
would argue that a relative measure can be made.
Both the CCEI and the GHQ (mentioned in the first e-mail)have been validated
against clinical diagnosis and in that sense concurrent validity can be
demonstrated. You raise the question of reliability, and again the measures
of which I wrote earlier would claim reliability, but more fundamentally you
raise the question of construct validity. Ultimately, while there are
tests of logic, there is an element of faith (i.e. is one convinced?) in
whether the 'nomological network' (as Cronbach calls it) exists. I feel
confident in saying that most people would accept that anxiety and
depression are worthwhile concepts (I suppose that the Anti-psychiatry
movement of the sixties might question it (I am not belittling that movement
in saying this) but they were more concerned with the problems of both
social labelling and the lack of understanding of the legitimacy of the
individual's cognitions in response to the environment in which they
developed). It is a question of whether the observations chosen fits into
the network.
As to the matter of subjective experience, you raise two matters: the
cultural aspect (see below) and also individual differences. I believe that
clinicians would argue that presentations may be individual but that the
underlying experiences are similar (and comparable/measurable).
So back to the role of culture in the experience of the conditions! My
concern is that while the measures that I use are validated, etc., they
appear to relate to a western experience of these conditions. I might be
wrong and they may be universal experiences of the conditions.
I look forward to any suggestions.
Best wishes
Kevin
-----Original Message-----
From: Maureen Mcbain [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
Sent: 06 April 2001 2:40 pm
To: Maguire, Kevin
Subject: Re: Occupationally induced Stress - cultural differences
Hi Kevin
I don't know about trying to measure anxiety and depression in different
cultures! But are you looking at specific groups within different cultures
e.g. by gender. As in do men and women with anxiety and depression cope
differently? What do you mean by anxiety and depression as theses terms are
subjective to the individual and difficult to quantify and measure unless
you use a reliable tool/questionnaire or other research method that has been
tested before or possibly design your own. However you would then have to
pilot the tool for reliability and validity!
Have you seen a book by McDowell. I and Newell. C (1996) : Measuring Health:
a guide to rating scales and questionnaire. New York. Oxford. That may be
worth a look and it should be available in most nursing libraries.
Good luck
Mo McBain.
-----Original Message-----
From: Maguire, Kevin <[log in to unmask]>
To: [log in to unmask] <[log in to unmask]>
Date: 05 April 2001 11:49
Subject: Occupationally induced Stress - cultural differences
>I would appreciate any refs. that people might suggest in relation to the
>measurement of anxiety and depression in different cultures. The measures
>with which I have familiarity (mainly CCEI and GHQ) do not appear to accord
>totally with what I have read about the experience of mental illness in all
>cultures.
>
>
>Regards
>
>Kevin
>
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