Recognition of and first aid strategies for depression in a close friend among Japanese university students

Abstract

This study investigated the recognition of and first aid strategies for depression in a close friend among Japanese university students. A total of 1,500 university students were asked to identify what was wrong with a vignette portraying depression and to report their first aid strategies or intentions. First, only 26.14% of participants correctly identified the person as having depression. Second, although the most common responses to the vignette were to listen to the person or to intend to do so non-judgmentally; much less common responses were to encourage professional help-seeking and to intend to do so. Japanese university students were less likely to intend to use the range of helpful first aid strategies while also taking care of themselves. Third, correctly recognizing depression was positively correlated with helpful first aid strategies and intentions (except for listening non-judgmentally in the depression vignette and encouraging self-help), and was negatively correlated with harmful first aid strategies. There is room for improving first aid strategies in Japanese university students when considering depression.