SOCIOECONOMIC-STATUS AND DEPRESSION - THE ROLE OF OCCUPATIONS INVOLVING DIRECTION, CONTROL, AND PLANNING

This article proposes a social causation explanation for the associati on between SES and depression/distress. The model links SES, occupatio nal direction, control, and planning (DCP), personality factors, and d epression/distress in a causal sequence. The data to test the social c ausation model against alternative, social selection models are derive d from samples of psychiatric patients and community residents in Wash ington Heights, New York City. The key factor of DCP is operationalize d using ratings from the Dictionary of Occupational Titles. The result s support the social causation model and cannot be accounted for by se veral tests derived from social selection models. Thus the results inc rease the plausibility of the social causation model and suggest the n eed for further research on the links between occupational conditions and mental disorder.