The British Journal of Psychiatry 139: 540-544 (1981)
© 1981 The Royal College of Psychiatrists
The relation between contextual and reported threat due to life events: a controlled study
DM Ndetei and A Vadher
Following the method of Brown and Harris 30 Kenyan patients suffering from
depression and 40 community non-psychiatrically-disturbed controls were
studied for contextual and reported threat due to short-term and long-term
life events. It was found that the patients did not over-rate threat due to
events (in 'search for the meaning') nor did the controls under-rate the
threat of life events. Some theoretical issues on the 'contextual threat'
of life events are raised.