Eastern 'collectivist' culture may buffer against depression

By Sharon Jayson, USA TODAY

People who live in Western culture may get depressed more than those from East Asian culture because Westerners don't have the cultural support that can protect them from a genetic vulnerability to depression, suggests a new study from Northwestern University, in Evanston, Illinois.

Researchers say Western culture is more individualistic and more concerned with "me" while East Asian culture is more collectivistic and focused on "we."

Psychologist Joan Chiao, the study's lead author, says those from more collectivist cultures are more likely to value social harmony over individualism and support behaviors that increase group cohesion and interdependence. She says more collectivist cultures may give individuals who are genetically susceptible to depression an implied or expressed social support which buffers them from depressive episodes.

Those from highly individualistic cultures such as the USA and Western Europe are more likely to "value uniqueness over harmony, expression over agreement and to define themselves as unique or different from the group," she says.

Research has shown that depression results from the interplay between genes and environment. This study is part of a growing field of research called cultural neuroscience, which takes a global look at mental health across social groups and nations.

In the study published online in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, researchers used genetic frequency information and cultural value data across 29 countries, including those in Eastern and Western Europe, South Africa, South Asia, East Asia and South America.

Northwestern researchers studied the serotonin transporter gene, which has two variants -- a short allele and a long allele. Those with a short allele have a genetic vulnerability to depression.
Previous research has found that people from nations in East Asia have a disproportionate number of short allele carriers. Northwestern researchers replicated that finding and also replicated cultural psychology research which has shown that nations within East Asia are typically more collectivistic.

But the researchers found that in collectivistic nations, such as East Asia, where nearly 80% of the population is genetically susceptible to depression, "the actual prevalence of depression is significantly lower than in individualistic nations, such as the United States and Western Europe."