Self-help preferences for the alleviation of depression

The purpose of this study was directed toward answering the question: Is one self-help approach preferable to another for relieving depression? It was hypothesized that equal numbers of people would select the affective, behavior, cognitive, and eclectic categories as their preferred self-help approach for the alleviation of depression. Five hundred subjects were interviewed. The sample included 306 females and 194 males. The age range was from 12 - 70. There were 197 students in the study and the remainder of the subject (N = 303) were classified as professionals and managerial, semiprofessionals and small business owners, skilled, and semi-skilled.

Data were collected using a phenomenological interview and a survey form based on Simon's (1978) Values Clarification Grid. Subjects were asked the question: When you are feeling depressed, what are your methods for improving the situation? Following the completion of the survey and interview, the subjects chose their preferred self-help approach (i. e., affective, behavior, cognitive, and eclectic).

The main finding of this study was that the hypothesis was rejected. A slight preference was expressed for the affective category. However, there was enough representation in each category to support the idea that counselors and psychotherapists should be skilled in using treatment procedures from all categories.

Additional findings included a significant effect of gender and occupational level on self-help preference. Age was not found to have an effect on self-help preference for the alleviation of depression.