Inconstant comparisons: a nurse and a sociologist study depression using grounded theory

Sociology and nursing have served each other's purposes for many decades in the United States. Not only has the profession of nursing been a subject for sociological study, but since the 1930s if not before, sociology has been considered an important part of educational preparation for nursing practice in the United States. Sociology textbooks for nurses in hospital training programs were published from the 1930s to the 1970s (Bogardus & Brethorst, 1945; Smith, 1976). Even the Catholic Church found it fitting to provide nursing students with a grasp of social issues; a text authored by nuns, one a nurse and the other a sociologist, received the imprimatur of the local bishop (Preher & Calvey, 1950).