This blog post will describe a Multi-Level Public Health Resilience-Building Intervention focused on building resiliency in young women, 18-25 years old, who are affected by depression. The theme of the intervention is When the World Feels Like it’s Caving in, Reach Out.
Depression affects over 250 million people worldwide (World Health Organization, 2020). This mental health illness involves feelings such as anxiety, worthlessness, sadness, and emptiness (National Institute of Mental Health [NIMH], n.d.). Anyone can develop depression, but those who have a greater risk are those who are already affected by health determinants such as multi-morbidity and experiencing traumatic and adverse events due to systematic injustices (NIMH, n.d.; Stanners et al., 2014). Depression disproportionately affects young women around the world, with young women being twice as likely as young men to develop this health condition (Albert, 2015).
When the World Feels Like it’s Caving in, Reach Out program focuses on pushing young women affected by depression to reach out and seek help to combat their depression. This program would work in conjunction with academic institutions such as colleges and universities in Pennsylvania and New Jersey to provide free and accessible therapy to young women with depression. This program is based on the Center for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) Social Ecological Model which is a four-level model to better understand a health issue and promote prevention and coping interventions (Center for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC], 2022). Below is a description of the intervention program at each level of the CDC Social Ecological Model.
Individual Level: The individual level focuses on the knowledge, skills, genetic factors, and personal history that affects one's health (Dixon, 2021). The intervention at this level centralizes building self-efficacy in the individual by providing them with the knowledge and skills they need to combat their depression. At this level, individual therapy will be provided to help the individual learn coping skills and increase their self-confidence.
Interpersonal Level: This level concentrates on the social and peer influences and relationships an individual has (CDC, 2022). Group therapy will be offered at this level to provide the individual with the resources to build and establish positive relationships in their lives to increase the social support they receive. By focusing on increasing social support, these young women would be assisted by those closest in their lives to seek treatment as well as relieve their depressive symptoms (Kawachi & Berkman, 2001).
Community Level: The community level focuses on the organizations, neighborhoods, schools, and work the individual is a part of (Dixon, 2021). The intervention at this level includes building inclusive social media networks and community organizations so the individual feels supported. This includes the idea of therapy and treatment being diffused throughout these organizations so the health behavior can become normalized.
Societal Level: This final level encompasses the social and cultural norms, as well as the economic, health, education, and social policies that affect health (CDC, 2022). At this level, the intervention concentrates on reducing the stigma around mental health as stigma does negatively impact an individual seeking help for depression. This will be done by using community forums, where people who have social influence and capital will discuss their experiences with depression and the coping mechanisms and treatments they utilize.
To recap, this program utilizes the CDC’s Social Ecological model to help young women with depression feel more confident and supported in receiving treatment and going to therapy to get the knowledge and resources they need to live healthier lives.
References
Albert, P. (2015). Why is depression more prevalent in women? Journal of Psychiatry & Neuroscience, 40 (4), 219–221. https://doi.org/10.1503/jpn.150205
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2022, January 18). The social-ecological model: A framework for prevention. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Retrieved May 27, 2022, from https://www.cdc.gov/violencepr...ecologicalmodel.html
Dixon, B (2021, May 17). BrittneyDixon_PHC6451 Social ecological approaches. PHC6451: Building Resilience in Individuals and Communities for Public Health, University of Florida. https://mediasite.video.ufl.ed...3&autoStart=true
Kawachi, I., & Berkman, L. F. (2001). Social ties and mental health. Journal of Urban Health: Bulletin of the New York Academy of Medicine, 78(3), 458–467. https://doi.org/10.1093/jurban/78.3.458
National Institute of Mental Health. (n.d.). Depression. U.S. Department of Health and Human, National Institutes of Health. Retrieved on September 3, 2021, from https://www.nimh.nih.gov/healt...pression/index.shtml
Stanners, M. N., Barton, C. A., Shakib, S., & Winefield, H. R. (2014). Depression diagnosis and treatment amongst multimorbid patients: A thematic analysis. BMC Family Practice, 15, 124. https://doi.org/10.1186/1471-2296-15-124
World Health Organization (2020). Depression. World Health Organization. Retrieved on September 3, 2021, from https://www.who.int/news-room/...ts/detail/depression
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