Bhanawat, N., Maheshwari, V., Joshi, G., Dhaduk, P., Singh, A., Gambhir, R. S., " Kahlon, H. (2017). A study of the association between depression and self-esteem among dental students of Udaipur. International Journal of Orofacial Research, 2(2), 57.
Synopsis
Depression describes a mood disorder whereby the patient experiences persistent sadness along with the loss of interest and it lasts for a couple of weeks, months, or more, and likely results in negative as well as self-conflicting thoughts. The study sought to establish the correlation between self-esteem and depression among the dental students of Udaipur, where the study had three hundred and fourteen participants. The study findings revealed a negative relationship between the variables. Men reported higher self-esteem, 22.24 ± 5.16, and a lower mean of depression, 10.12 ± 7.82.
Self-esteem and Depression Study
The hypothesis that the study investigated was; there is no linear relationship between self-esteem and depression among Udaipur dental students. The study comprised of two variables; the dependent variable (depression) and the independent variable (self-esteem). In this study, the author defined depression as a strong mood that involves despair, discouragement, hopelessness, and sadness lasting for at least two weeks, months, or longer. Depression has the tendency to have negative in addition to self-critical thoughts and the study operationalised depression regarding mood, loss of interest, decreased energy, guilt feelings, little self-worth, poor attentiveness, as well as trouble sleep and lack of appetite. Self-esteem refers to the opinion a person has about themselves as well as their abilities (Bhanawat et al. 57).
The study participants were the dental students of Udaipur in India. The study used the students who consented to participate and those who were present in the college during data collection. However, the study excluded dental students who failed to give their agreement to participate in this study, those with had a history of psychotic disorders, substance dependence, and those with comorbid chronic mental illnesses. The study adopted a descriptive survey and involved a study population of six hundred and twenty students, from whom the author selected a sample of three hundred and fourteen students. To determine the sample size the study employed the Raosoft sample size calculator, and the study participants picked through systematic probability sampling technique. The data collection tool for this study involved a self-administered questionnaire. The questionnaire measured self-esteem using a ten-item scale used to measure global self-worth by indicating the positive and negative feeling about self and the respondents rated all items on a four-point scale that ranged from strongly agree to disagree strongly. In testing for depression, the study employed the Beck depression inventory that comprises of twenty-one multiple choice questions, and the participants rated every issue on this scale on a four-point scale that ranged on the severity of every item (Jayanthi and Rajamanickam 630).
One threat to validity would be the selection bias because the study had an established inclusion and exclusion criteria. Data analysis used the SPSS software where the study used descriptive statistics to compute the means, T-test for comparison of male and female scores, and Pearson’s correlation used to define the relationship between variables. The results were statistically significant and indicated that there exists a significant but negative relationship between self-esteem and depression. The findings imply that students with high self-esteem record levels of depression. This study relates to my own life because I gained the understanding that low self-esteem is a risk factor for depression and to be free of depression I should not have deficient emotional self-regulation.
Works Cited
Bhanawat, Nilesh, et al. "A study of association between depression and self-esteem among dental students of Udaipur." International Journal of Orofacial Research 2.2 (2017): 57.
Jayanthi, P., and Rajamanickam Rajkumar. "Is low self-esteem a risk factor for depression among adolescents&63; an analytical study with interventional component." International Journal of Medical Research and Health Sciences 3.3 (2014): 627-633.
