The phenomenology of depression in adolescents

Details

Supervisors

De Mol, Jan

Faculty

Faculté de psychologie, logopédie, sexologie et des sciences de la famille

Degree label

Master [120] en sciences psychologiques

Abstract

This study presents an explorative qualitative analysis adopting the Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis approach aiming to give insight to the meaning-making process of adolescents concerning their experience of depression. The main research objective is the study of how social representations might influence the development of depression in adolescents. This implies to investigate how adolescents perceive and make sense of their experience of depression. Finally, the investigation explores also the existence of social representations that might be related to the gender differences on the onset of depression. The empirical analysis has revealed the presence of multiple social representations, confirming the complexity of the pathology in adolescence. Indeed, adolescent depression is socially denied and trivialized. It is impossible to be depressed and depression cannot be shown, but must be hidden and masked. Depressed adolescents should show full responsibility of personal and social wellbeing while following scholar and social success goals.