DEPRESSION AND LIFE SATISFACTION IN NEPAL AND AUSTRALIA

For this study of cultural differences in the extent of depressive sym ptomatology and life satisfaction, 311 Australian and 250 Nepalese uni versity students completed the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depr ession Scale (CES-D) and the Satisfaction With Life Scale (SWLS; Diene r, Emmons, Larsen, & Griffin, 1985). No significant differences were f ound in depressive symptomatology. Australian respondents reported sig nificantly higher life satisfaction than Nepalese. A moderate signific ant inverse relationship was found between depressive symptoms and lif e satisfaction in the Australian respondents, with a smaller significa nt inverse relationship observed among the Nepalese respondents. The f indings suggest that the experience of depressive symptoms may be part ially independent of life satisfaction for this Nepalese sample.