Depression Survivors Among Emerging Adults: Their Healing Journey
Abstract
This qualitative study explored the healing process of depression survivors among emerging adults with effective coping strategies utilised by them. A semi-structured interview was conducted on participants aged between 18-28 years old. A theme narrating the experience of the depression survivors were identified: The journey of healing - Crawling out of the quicksand. The survivors emphasised that to achieve healing, everything starts from within the self, and they had been putting in a lot of their extra efforts in helping themselves heal. They all went beyond recovery, where their efforts illustrated their focus on healing, thriving, and achieving optimal well-being upon recovery. Significantly, the relevance and applicability of the building blocks of Seligman’s PERMA model of well-being towards those efforts taken were revealed in the study.
.
References
Ackerman, C. (2018). What is positive psychology & why is it important? Retrieved from https://positivepsychology.com/what-is-positive-psychology-definition/
Ackerman, C. E. (2020). Positive emotions: A list of 26 examples & definitions in psychology. Retrieved from https://positivepsychology.com/positive-emotions-list-examples-definition-psychology/
American Psychological Association [APA]. (2018). Emerging adulthood. Retrieved from https://dictionary.apa.org/emerging-adulthood
Chan S. L., Hutagalung, F. D., & Lau P. L. (2017). A Review of Depression and Its Research Studies in Malaysia. International Journal of Education, Psychology and Counseling, 2(4), 40-55.
Fava, G. A., & Ruini, C. (2003). Development and characteristics of a well-being enhancing psychotherapeutic strategy: Well-being therapy. Journal of Behavior Therapy and Experimental Psychiatry, 34, 45-63.
https://doi.org/10.1016/S0005-7916(03)00019-3
Fredrickson, B. L., & Joiner, T. (2002). Positive emotions trigger upward spirals toward emotional well-being. Psychological Science, 13, 172-175.
https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-9280.00431
Gillian, S. J. (2019). Rethinking how we heal from anxiety and depression. Retrieved from https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/think-act-be/201902/rethinking-how-we-heal-anxiety-and-depression
Hanafiah, A. N., & Bortel, T. Van. (2015). A qualitative exploration of the perspectives of mental health professionals on stigma and discrimination of mental illness in Malaysia. International Journal of Mental Health Systems, 9, 1-12.
https://doi.org/10.1186/s13033-015-0002-1
Hernáez, A. M., Maicas, N. C., Digiacomo, S. M., & Ariste, S. (2016). Social support and gender differences in coping with depression among emerging adults: a mixed-methods study. Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Mental Health, 10, 1-11.
https://doi.org/10.1186/s13034-015-0088-x
Holubova, M., Prasko, J., Ociskova, M., Grambal, A., Slepecky, M., Marackova, M., ... & Zatkova, M. (2018). Quality of life and coping strategies of outpatients with a depressive disorder in maintenance therapy-a cross-sectional study. Neuropsychiatric Disease and Treatment, 14, 73-82.
https://doi.org/10.2147/NDT.S153115
Kern, M. & Khaw, D. (2015). A Cross-Cultural Comparison of the PERMA Model of Well-Being. Undergraduate Journal of Psychology at Berkeley, 8(1), 10-23.
Kopala-Sibley, D. C., & Zuroff, D. C. (2020). The self and depression: Four psychological theories and their potential neural correlates. Journal of Personality, 88(1), 14-30.
https://doi.org/10.1111/jopy.12456
Ledwidge, B. (1980). Run for your mind: Aerobic exercise as a means of alleviating anxiety and depression. Canadian Journal of Behavioural Science, 12(2), 126-140.
https://doi.org/10.1037/h0081048
Nowell, L. S., Norris, J. M., White, D. E., & Moules, N. J. (2017). Thematic Analysis: Striving to Meet the Trustworthiness Criteria. International Journal of Qualitative Methods, 16(1), 1-13.
https://doi.org/10.1177/1609406917733847
Pascha, M. (2019). The PERMA model: Your scientific theory of happiness. Retrieved from https://positivepsychology.com/perma-model/
Pieters, H. C., & Heilemann, M. V. (2010). "I can't do it on my own": Motivation to enter therapy for depression among low income, second-generation Latinas. Issues in Mental Health Nursing, 31(4), 279-287.
https://doi.org/10.3109/01612840903308549
Rajendran, N. (2001). Dealing With Biases in Qualitative Research: A Balancing Act for Researchers. In a poster presented at Qualitative Research Convention.
Rottenberg, J., Devendorf, A. R., Panaite, V., Disabato, D. J., & Kashdan, T. B. (2019). Optimal Well-Being After Major Depression. Clinical Psychological Science, 7(3), 621-627.
https://doi.org/10.1177/2167702618812708
Santos, V., Paes, F., Pereira, V., Arias-carrión, O., Silva, A. C., Carta, M. G., Machado, S. (2013). The Role of Positive Emotion and Contributions of Positive Psychology in Depression Treatment: Systematic Review. Clinical Practice and Epidemiology in Mental Health, 9 (1), 221-237.
https://doi.org/10.2174/1745017901309010221
Schrank, B., Brownell, T., Tylee, A., & Slade, M. (2014). Positive psychology: An approach to supporting recovery in mental illness. East Asian Archives of Psychiatry, 24(3), 95-103.
Shumye, S., Belayneh, Z., & Mengistu, N. (2019). Health-related quality of life and its correlates among people with depression attending outpatient department in Ethiopia: a cross-sectional study. Health and Quality of Life Outcomes, 17(1), 1-9.
https://doi.org/10.1186/s12955-019-1233-7
Sin, N. L., Della Porta, M. D., & Lyubomirsky, S. O. N. J. A. (2011). Tailoring positive psychology interventions to treat depressed individuals. Applied positive psychology: Improving everyday life, health, schools, work, and society, 79 -96. New York, NY: Routledge.
Teo, K., & Say, Y. (2012). Prevalence of Depression and Cognitive Distortion among a Cohort of Malaysian Tertiary Students. Research in Neuroscience, 1(1), 1-7.
Van Grieken, R. A., Kirkenier, A. C., Koeter, M. W., & Schene, A. H. (2014). Helpful self-management strategies to cope with enduring depression from the patients' point of view: a concept map study. BMC Psychiatry, 14(1), 1-9.
https://doi.org/10.1186/s12888-014-0331-7
Version, D., & Rights, P. (2012). Immobility, Battles, and the Journey of Feeling Alive: Women's Metaphors of Self-Transformation Through Depression and Recovery. Qualitative Health Research, 22(8), 1063-1072.
https://doi.org/10.1177/1049732312443738
Yeap, R., & Low, W. Y. (2009). Mental health knowledge, attitude, and help-seeking tendency: a Malaysian context. Singapore Medical Journal, 50(12), 1169-1176.
Copyright (c) 2021 Wei Zhe Pui, Jamayah Saili
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Copyright Transfer Statement for Journal
1) In signing this statement, the author(s) grant UNIMAS Publisher an exclusive license to publish their original research papers. The author(s) also grant UNIMAS Publisher permission to reproduce, recreate, translate, extract or summarize, and to distribute and display in any forms, formats, and media. The author(s) can reuse their papers in their future printed work without first requiring permission from UNIMAS Publisher, provided that the author(s) acknowledge and reference publication in the Journal.
2) For open access articles, the author(s) agree that their articles published under UNIMAS Publisher are distributed under the terms of the CC-BY-NC-SA (Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-Share Alike 4.0 International License) which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, for non-commercial purposes, provided the original work of the author(s) is properly cited.
3) The author(s) is/are responsible to ensure his or her or their submitted work is original and does not infringe any existing copyright, trademark, patent, statutory right, or propriety right of others. Corresponding author(s) has (have) obtained permission from all co-authors prior to submission to the journal. Upon submission of the manuscript, the author(s) agree that no similar work has been or will be submitted or published elsewhere in any language. If submitted manuscript includes materials from others, the authors have obtained the permission from the copyright owners.
4) In signing this statement, the author(s) declare(s) that the researches in which they have conducted are in compliance with the current laws of the respective country and UNIMAS Journal Publication Ethics Policy. Any experimentation or research involving human or the use of animal samples must obtain approval from Human or Animal Ethics Committee in their respective institutions. The author(s) agree and understand that UNIMAS Publisher is not responsible for any compensational claims or failure caused by the author(s) in fulfilling the above-mentioned requirements. The author(s) must accept the responsibility for releasing their materials upon request by Chief Editor or UNIMAS Publisher.
5) The author(s) should have participated sufficiently in the work and ensured the appropriateness of the content of the article. The author(s) should also agree that he or she has no commercial attachments (e.g. patent or license arrangement, equity interest, consultancies, etc.) that might pose any conflict of interest with the submitted manuscript. The author(s) also agree to make any relevant materials and data available upon request by the editor or UNIMAS Publisher.
