Human beings have different behavioral patterns. This difference in their behavior is brought about by the different models that people use to develop their characters. One of the main theories that explain human behavior is the social cognitive theory. This theory of behavior explains how the environmental and cognitive factors influence an individual's behavior. Through the social cognitive theory, individuals learn both the social and nonsocial skills of life. Through this theory of behavior, individuals can also learn how to cope with issues such as stress or depression. In my critical review on depression, I would analyze two scholarly articles about depression. The topics of the articles are Depression in palliative care patients and a Pilot evaluation of the association between displayed depression references on Facebook and self-reported depression using a clinical scale. Depression in palliative care patients is a survey on the assessment and treatment of Australian and New Zealand palliative care professionals. The two journals analyze ways of the evaluation and treatment of depression among human beings. There are different ways of determining and treating depression depending on the behavioral nature of the involved individuals.
The article about displayed depression references on Facebook researched how various the depression symptoms of some individuals can be viewed from their Facebook profiles. On the other hand, the article on depression of patients with palliative care analyzes how members of New Zealand and Australia palliative Medicine determine and treat depression among palliative patients. Across the two articles, the prevailing theoretical framework is analyzing the methods of determining and treating depression among individuals. The articles diverge in that, and they are seeking for the same results using different methods of data collection. The hypothesis of the two articles was analyzing and treatment of depression. Some of the research questions include: who are the people involved? How do these people portray symptoms of depression? And what is the possible treatment for depression?
Comparison of data collection methods.
The article that involves the display of depression symptoms on Facebook relied on the use of observation as their method of data collection. They observed the Facebook profiles of undergraduates from two universities. From the observation, they categorized each of the profiles as either symptom displayers or non-displayers. The second article titled depression in palliative care patients is a survey, and it applied the use of questionnaires to collect data. The researchers distributed semi-structured questionnaires to members of the Australian and New Zealand Society of Palliative Medicine(ANZSPM) who acted as respondents. The method of sampling in random sampling in both journals.
Findings from the two articles
From the research done by both the articles, data was collect and there were various findings. The article on display of depression of Facebook had findings that the PHQ-9 score for non-displayers was 4.7 and that for displayers was 6.4. These findings led to the conclusions of the article that a majority of individuals display their depression symptoms. The results of this study connect to the hypothesis and research questions in that the results provide the means of determining depression. The study also answers the research questions in that it involves the university undergraduates and how they display depression symptoms. In the bigger societal picture, this study means that in the current society it is easier to identify whether a youth is depressed through the things they post on their social media pages.
The second article about depression in palliative care patients used questionnaires to collect data, and from the which, it had its findings. After analyzing the data collected, it was realized that 98. 9% of the respondents always rely on the clinical interviews to determine depression. The results of this study are connected to its hypothesis which was methods of determining and treating depression. The study also answered the research questions as it involved determining and treating depression among palliative care patients. This study applies to the society in general as it implies that most palliative care specialists determine the depression symptoms in their patients through the use of clinical interviews.
Critique of the studies
Even though each of the studies was conducted by professional and had clear findings, these studies like any other work of a man still had their strengths and weaknesses. The strength of the first article on display of depression symptoms on Facebook is that the research relied mostly on social media to study the youth which is an advantage as the majority of the youths update their day to day activities and feelings on their Facebook pages. The main weakness of this study is that the findings might be faulty. This is because looks and statements posted on social media can be deceiving (Adler, 2017). One can decide to write and post an article that is completely different from their real-life experiences. The possible flaws of this study are getting misleading results, and this is brought about by their choice of method of data collection. The study concentrated on the youth as their sample population of study.
The strength of the article on palliative care patients is that the researchers used palliative care specialists as their respondents. The use of specialists is an advantage as these respondents have a high experience in palliative care and therefore they well know the means of determining and treating depression among palliative care patients (Aslakson, Curtis " Nelson, 2014). The weakness of this study is that it mostly concentrated on the methods of determining depression rather than the treatment for depression. The study was quite specific regarding population sampling as it chose to major in palliative care patients.
The commonalities of the studies are that through the findings of both studies, it is clear that the depression in human beings is usually displayed through their actions depending on the social and environmental factors. For instance, the depression among palliative patients can be determined through their speaking while the youths through their posts on social media. The significance of the studies is that they help in understanding how to determine depression amongst various groups of people.
Recommendations for future research
For future studies, I would recommend that when researching the future, the researches should not only concentrate on specific groups of people but try and study human beings at large. In future, researchers should also consider providing solutions and methods of preventing depression because the two articles mostly concentrated on methods of determining depression. When conducting future research, proper methods such as understanding of human behavioral factors should be used, and psychologists should also be involved. According to Sukter and Adams (2002), human behavior and social learning theory influence how various individuals will respond to depression.
Conclusion
In conclusion, depression is common among human beings, and it affects the normal life of individuals. Human beings have different behavioral patterns that they learn from their environment, and it is these behavioral patterns that determine how different individuals respond to depression. Environmental and cognitive factors influence human behavioral patterns. The two articles on determination and treatment of depression analyze how various groups of individuals display their depression symptoms. From the analysis of the findings of both articles, it is clear that the depression state of palliative care patients can be determined through clinical interviews. Depression among the youths can be determined from their Facebook profiles.
Even though these articles have clear and precise findings, they still don't meet other expectations such as researching the preventive measures of depression. The articles also present very minimal information on the treatment of depression. For future reference, it is important that when conducting research, the researchers should give an equal ground of discussion on all the issues concerning depression rather than just concentrating on a few.
Learning theory is related to the research in that; learning theory explains how human beings adapt to various behaviors through learning from the environment while depression affects the human behavior. Through social learning, individuals can acquire certain skills that can help them cope with depression. For instance, an individual who has experienced depression before can advise an individual who is currently depressed on how to manage the depression. The depressed individual will try to put into practice the advice given. Through this, the individual would have used social learning to find a solution to the depression.
References
Adler, R. B. (2017). Looking Out Looking In: 15th ed. Boston, MA: Cengage Learing.
Aslakson, R. A., Curtis, J. R., " Nelson, J. E. (2014). The Changing Role of Palliative Care in the ICU. Critical Care Medicine, 42(11), 2418–2428. http://doi.org/10.1097/CCM.0000000000000573
Moreno, Megan Andreas, MD,M.S.Ed, M.P.H., Christakis, Dimitri A,M.D., M.P.H., Egan, K. G., B.S.N., Jelenchick, L. A., B.S., Cox, Elizabeth,M.D., PhD., Young, H., PhD., . . . Becker, T., PhD. (2012). A pilot evaluation of associations between displayed depression references on Facebook and self-reported depression using a clinical scale. The Journal of Behavioral Health Services " Research, 39(3), 295-304. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s11414-011-92587
Porche, Kay, MBBS,F.R.A.C.G.P., F.A.ChP.M., Reymond, Liz, MBBS, MSc, PhD,F.R.A.C.G.P., F.A.ChP.M., O'Callaghan, John, MBBS, FRANZCP, " Charles, Margaret,B.A., PhD. (2014). Depression in palliative care patients: A survey of assessment and treatment practices of Australian and new Zealand palliative care specialists. Australian Health Review, 38(1), 1-7. Retrieved from https://search.proquest.com/docview/1535036142?accountid=45049
Sutker, P. B., " Adams, H. E. (2002). Comprehensive handbook of psychopathology. New York: Kluwer Academic.
