Grade 10 - Sapphire

Ma. Katrina Julia Dayag

Trissha Nicole Villarente

Nickzen Kian Jumawan

Biological, Psychological, and Social Determinants of Depression: A Review of

Recent Literature

Abstract
Depression is one of the leading causes of disability, and, if left unmanaged, it can
increase the risk for suicide. The evidence base on the determinants of depression
is fragmented, which makes the interpretation of the results across studies
difficult. The objective of this study is to conduct a thorough synthesis of the
literature assessing the biological, psychological, and social determinants of
depression in order to piece together the puzzle of the key factors that are
related to this condition. Titles and abstracts published between 2017 and 2020
were identified in PubMed, as well as Medline, Scopus, and PsycInfo. Key words
relating to biological, social, and psychological determinants as well as depression
were applied to the databases, and the screening and data charting of the
documents took place. We included 470 documents in this literature review. The
findings showed that there are a plethora of risk and protective factors (relating
to biological, psychological, and social determinants) that are related to
depression; these determinants are interlinked and influence depression
outcomes through a web of causation. In this paper, we describe and present the
vast, fragmented, and complex literature related to this topic. This review may be
used to guide practice, public health efforts, policy, and research related to
mental health and, specifically, depression.