Religion, the Life Stress Paradigm, and the Study of Depression

Abstract
A burgeoning interdisciplinary literature explores the role of social factors in the etiology of depression, distress, and other psychiatric disorders. Over the past decade, mental health researchers in various fields—primarily social epidemiologists, sociologists, psychologists, and gerontologists—have oriented much of their work around what has been termed the life stress paradigm (Dohrenwend & Dohrenwend, 1981; Lin & Ensel, 1989). This paradigm directs attention to the role of stressful events and conditions in undermining mental health and increasing the risk of various disorders. Early versions of the life stress paradigm posited a direct link between social stressors and mental and physical health (Selye, 1956). However, more recent research ...

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