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- All Subjects: Adjustment (Psychology)
- Creators: Barratt, T. M
Description
It is not a new idea that there may be a "silver lining" in depression for some people; that grappling with this condition has the potential to make them stronger or more capable in some way. Over the past three decades, research has proliferated on growth associated with adversity; from life-threatening illness to natural disasters, the death of a loved one, physical abuse, and numerous other forms of trauma. However, very little empirical attention has been paid to the topic of growth resulting from the process of working through psychological distress. Rather, the extant literature tends to consider conditions like depression and anxiety as unsuccessful outcomes, or failed attempts at coping. Furthermore, evidence suggests there is considerable variability in the types of growth perceived by individuals experiencing different forms of adversity. Using interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA), a qualitative research method, the current study elucidates the experience of growth associated with depression among six individuals from diverse backgrounds. The superordinate themes that emerged from the analysis include: depression as a catalyst for personal development (creative, spiritual, and intellectual); social support and connection; greater presence or engagement in life; a more adaptive and realized sense of self; feelings of gratitude and appreciation; and a recognition of the timing of depression. Each of these themes is examined in relation to participants' processes of meaning making in their experience of growth. The findings of the current study are broadly compatible with, yet qualitatively distinct from, previously identified models of adversarial growth. Implications for future research and clinical practice are discussed.
ContributorsBarratt, T. M (Author) / Kinnier, Richard T (Thesis advisor) / Van Puymbroeck, Christina M (Committee member) / Arciniega, G. Miguel (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2014
Description
Recent reports have indicated that there are both mental health and educational disparities between Latino youth and their European American counterparts. Specifically, Latin youth are at a heightened risk for negative mental health outcomes in comparison to their non-Latino youth (e.g., Eaton et al., 2008). Further, 16.7% of Latino adolescents dropped out of high school compared to 5.3% of European American youth over the past several decades (1960-2011; U.S. Department of Education, 2013). Mexican American (M.A. youth in particular, have the lowest educational attainment among all Latino ethnic groups in the U.S. (U.S. Census Bureau, 2010). While these mental health and educational disparities have often been attributed to discrimination experiences that Latino youth encounter, there is also consistent empirical evidence linking discrimination with these maladjustment problems. These studies confirmed that discrimination directly related to depressive symptoms (e.g., Umana-Taylor et al., 2007), externalizing behaviors (Berkel et al., 2010), self-esteem (e.g., Zeiders et al., 2013), and academic outcomes (e.g., Umana-Taylor et al., 2012). Few studies to date have examined the underlying mechanisms (i.e., moderation and mediation) that help us to better understand resiliency paths for those Latino youth that display positive adjustment outcomes despite being faced with similar discrimination encounters that their maladjusted peers face. Therefore, the following two studies examined various mechanisms in which discrimination related to adjustment to better understand potential risk and resiliency processes in hopes of informing intervention research. Paper 1 explored cultural influences on the association between discrimination, active coping, and mental health outcomes in M.A. youth. Paper 2 examined how trajectories of discrimination across 5th, 7th, and 10th grades related to cultural values, externalizing behaviors, and academic outcomes in M.A. youth. Taken together, these studies provide a culturally informed overview of adjustment processes in M.A. adolescents who face discrimination in addition to identifying critical directions for future research in efforts to gaining a more contextualized and comprehensive understanding of the dynamic processes involved in discrimination and adjustment in M.A. youth.
ContributorsO'Donnell, Megan (Author) / Roosa, Mark W. (Thesis advisor) / Dumka, Larry (Committee member) / Gonzales, Nancy (Committee member) / Barrera, Manuel (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2014