Table 4 Social exclusion proposition—inference to best explanation

Hill’s aspects of association

Strength

Financial stress has a strong assoc with depression at the individual level but ecological measures of poverty and social exclusion had weak association

Consistency

The poor income has been found as a cause of depression in large number of studies

Specificity

No specificity identified

Temporality

No temporality demonstrated in this study

Biological gradient

Higher the lack of financial stress the higher the observed depression

Plausibility

The association between social exclusion and stress is biologically plausible

Coherence

The association is coherent with what is know

Experimental evidence

No experimental evidence identified

Analogy

There is an analogy between the effect of social exclusion and isolation. Both result in a similar effect

Thagard’s Principles

Symmetry

There is symmetry between social exclusion causing depression and social support and practical support preventing depression

Explanation

The social exclusion proposition a) coheres with evidence on depression, b) coheres with other propositions and c) is a single proposition

Analogy

Social exclusion causing stress is coherent with isolation causing depression mediated through stress

Data priority

The proposition describes the observation re financial stress and depression

Contradiction

There are no contradictory proposals

Competition

No competitive explanation identified where p and q were not explanatorily connected

Acceptance

The social exclusion proposition is coherent with the overall system of propositions

Thagard’s Criteria

Consilience

Social exclusion explains a range of facts but not all known facts

Simplicity

Social exclusion is not sufficient to cause of depression. Not the most simple explanation

Analogy

Social exclusion causing stress in mothers is analogous to social exclusion causing poor self report health