Self-silencing and depression in women: Examining the role of social support as a moderator

In almost all populations there is a significant sex difference in the rate of depression, with women being twice as likely to be depressed as compared to men (Bebbington, 1996; Kuehner, 2003). Numerous theories have been proposed in an attempt to explain this difference, with one such theory being Jack's (1991) Silencing the Self Theory which poses that, in adherence to the traditional female role, many women self-silence in an attempt to maintain their intimate relationships, which increases the risk of depression (Jack 1991). However, the relationship between self-silencing and depression is not necessarily direct thus suggesting that another variable, such as social support, may be moderating the relationship. In order to investigate the role of social support as a moderating variable the present study was designed with two parts. The first adopted a quantitative paradigm to investigate the amount and satisfaction with the emotional and practical support received from two sources (partner and others). The results found that depression bore a positive relationship to self-silencing and a negative relationship to social support but did not corroborate the expectation that social support would act as a moderator between self-silencing and depression. The second part of the study used qualitative methodology and involved small focus groups of high and low self-silencing women. Thematic analysis was used to analyse the narratives and the current study found that the women in the low self-silencing group self-silenced to preserve harmony in the relationship while the women in the high self-silencing group did so when they felt that others' needs were more pressing than their own. In conclusion, social support did not act as a moderator between self-silencing and depression in women. As well, high self-silencing women received less social support and were less satisfied with the support they received from their partner and others, relied on more avenues of social support simultaneously, and self-silenced to preserve harmony in their relationships.