Predictors of Major Depressive Disorder: The Need for Social Approval and Self-Esteem

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to investigate self-esteem and the need for social approval as predictors of depression in patients with a diagnosis of major depressive disorder (MDD). It also aimed to compare depression, self-esteem, and the need for social approval in relation to some variables. METHODS: The Beck Depression Scale, Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale, and the need for social approval scale (NSAS) were administered to 117 patients diagnosed with MDD and who applied to the Psychiatry Outpatient Clinic in Sabuncuoğlu Şerefeddin Training and Research Hospital of Amasya University, Turkey. In the analysis of the collected data, the t-test, one-way analysis of variance, Pearson’s moment-product correlation coefficient, and multiple regression analysis were used. RESULTS: Self-esteem and NSAS subdimensions were found to explain 33% of the total variance in depression. Self-esteem was found to be the variable making the greatest contribution. Two of the subdimensions of the NSAS—sensitivity to others’ judgments and leaving a positive impression—were found to have no contribution to the model. The mean score taken by the male participants from leaving a positive impression subdimension of the NSAS was found to be significantly higher than that taken by the female participants. The patients with depression who are single were found to have a significantly higher mean score from leaving a positive impression subdimension than the married patients. No significant difference was found between the variables depending on the age and education level variables. CONCLUSION: As a result, it should be noted that while evaluating patients diagnosed with MDD, the need for social approval in male patients and patients who are single can be higher than leaving a positive impression and that culture may cause people to hide the symptoms of depression. Given that there are fewer male patients applying to psychiatry clinics than female patients, it would be appropriate to refer male patients to individual counseling activities to reduce their need for approval in relation to leaving a positive impression. It is also suggested that research on anxiety, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and somatization as well as to investigate the intermediate models that address various variables between depression and the need for social approval be conducted.