Ramirez-Esparza, Nairan, et al. "The psychology of word use in depression forums in English and in Spanish: Testing two text analytic approaches." Proceedings of the international AAAI conference on web and social media. Vol. 2. No. 1. 2008.

These studies explore the expression of depression on the Internet using computerized methods. Study 1 examined linguistic markers of depression in English and Spanish forums, collecting posts from 160 depressed and 160 non-depressed individuals using bulletin board systems (bbs). The LIWC2001 program analyzed linguistic categories across groups in both languages. Study 2 analyzed themes in English and Spanish posts by 404 and 400 depressed individuals, respectively, using an automated inductive content analysis approach to examine cultural variations in depression expression. Study 1 found higher levels of linguistic cues associated with depression in depressed individuals' posts in both languages. Study 2 revealed that Spanish-speaking depressed individuals were more likely to mention relational concerns, while English-speaking depressed individuals more frequently mentioned medicinal concerns. The studies discuss implications for informational and support needs in psychotherapy and online support across cultures.