The essential structure of the lived experience of depression in adolescents

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to explore the adolescent's lived experience of being depressed through the research methodology of phenomenology. The sample consisted of 3 participants; two 13 year old females and one 14 year old male. Interviews were audiotaped and analyzed using an adaptation of Colaizzi's seven-step procedure. Results included Theme Categories of Dispirited Weariness; Emotional Homelessness: Sense of Aloneness; Emotional Homelessness: No Safety Where Expected; Constant, Unrelenting Anger; Working Through Parental Break-up; Caught in the Middle; Spectrum of Escape From Pain; Treatment Variations; Depression is an Up and Down Course; Perspectives on Friendship; Gaining A Sense of Getting Well; and, Assessing Progress So Far. The essential structure of the lived experience of depression in adolescents was formulated from all data.