2. research methods: Research Question, Hypothesis, and Approach

Running Head: DEPRESSION IN YOUTHS AND TEENS 1

Focus Topic and References: Depression in Youths and Teens

Miranda Smith

PSY326: Research Methods

Professor Sharon Barger

07/30/2020

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Focus Topic and References: Depression in Youth and Teens

In the current world, there has been a surge in cases of depression occurring. Depression

refers to a mood condition that negates how an individual thinks and feels. Depression comes

with vast effects on an individual's life. The most recognized effects include sadness and the

unproductiveness of a given individual, isolation of an individual from others, change in sleep

patterns, feeling unworthy, fatigue, and suicide. Certain factors can trigger the condition in a

given time. The most common elements include drug abuse, bipolar disorder (Other mental

conditions), Parental verbal discipline, negative factors associated with age, and many others.

Depression is typically associated with specific periods triggered by particular factors stated

above. The primary age affected by depression includes the teens and children and less

commonly in adults. The upsurge in this condition has sparkled interest in researching the critical

aspects of entailed depression. The paper gives a literature review of various scholars who

studied depression and came up with specific findings concerning the same.

Wileys(2013) research primarily talks about the link between parental verbal discipline

and teen depression. Verbal discipline refers to the use of psychological force to inflict pain to an

individual for going against some specific code of behavior(Wileys, 2013)). According to this

research, Wileys found out that, majority of children who experience harsh verbal discipline end

up experiencing depression at their teenage ages approximately age 14. Researchers say that

previous researchers linked severe verbal punishment to behavioral and psychological

adjustments of the children, which is not the case. The researchers say that no place identifies

harsh verbal discipline as a disciplinary tactic. Verbal discipline may include humiliating the

child using harsh words and shouting at the children.

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Sampling was done in two phases for the specific target groups, which helped determine

the particular findings. The first wave involved a collection of around 976 samples, while the

second wave included the use of 873 samples of adolescents. Their results found out that 45% of

fathers and mothers used harsh verbal discipline while 45% off mothers and 43% of fathers use

cruel verbal punishment at age 14. These findings clearly show that depression of adolescents

kicks off between the ages of 13 and 14. However, they found out that harsh verbal discipline is

still practiced up to this day. The mothers are more linked to the use of this disciplinary tactic

than fathers. However, they found out that the influence of a particular disciplinary tactic's use

majorly depended on the relationship between the husband and wife. If the wife is using harsh

verbal discipline, it may influence the father to start using the method also.

Yashvi Italiya and Peeti Nakhat primarily cover the ratio of teens and young adults who

are almost depressed. According to the research, almost depression is common among teens and

young adults that are usually ignored. The study aimed to differentiate the symptoms of the

Almost depressive disorder from the major one. It involved the use of 576 participants who

assisted in giving out the findings of almost depressive disorder.

The research indicates that persistent depressive disorder starts before age 21 or above

age 21. Yashvi found out that this condition is associated with loss of interest in daily activities,

low self-esteem, feeling of inadequacy, hopelessness, and unproductively (Italiya, 2019). The

symptoms are presumed to continue for several years and have massive effects on education,

relationships, employment, and many other activities an individual is involved in. The presence

of people during this stage tends to irritate them. Due to this aspect, anxiety is a common

symptom that results. Other features include extreme moodiness, low self-esteem, and problems

in concentration. The causes of this condition are not known. Still, they are primarily linked to

certain aspects, including the occurrence of an unfortunate event, changes in the

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neurotransmitters, bad memories, and the abuse of drugs. The findings of the research indicated

that trouble in sleeping is associated with low-grade depression. During the study, 30.55% faces

oversleeping problems, and 19.61 experiences insomnia, while 49.82% find no difficulty

sleeping. The 49% who experience oversleeping and insomnia reconsidered to portray symptoms

of Almost depression (Italiya, 2019).

The research indicated that failure to express emotions is one of the major causes of

almost depression. If an individual is experiencing problems in life without showing for help, it

will end up torturing one from the inside, which will result in almost depression. However, the

researchers found that there is difficulty concentrating on once-daily activities if they lack focus.

When an individual fails to concentrate on daily activities, it indirectly shows that an individual

is portraying symptoms of Almost depression.

The article by Hillary Benet majorly identifies the children and teens who are at risk of

being affected by depression and violence. The article portrays that schools have tried to

implement techniques that are used to eliminate homicide and suicide among school children,

which is the primary cause of death. The deaths have continuously been linked to depression and

substance abuse. Research shows that 20% of teenagers start developing major depression at the

age of 18 (Benne, 2008). The issues of substance abuse and depression, if left unaddressed, may

lead to suicide and homicide. People were continuously asking themselves how the school-based

programs were applied in lowering depression and substance abuse. In detecting depression, a

variety of screening programs exist. The use of a video, questionnaires, and classroom

discussions assists in detecting depression (Bennet, 2008). The teen screen uses a short screen

questionnaire that is used to identify the students with the symptoms of depression. The students

then undergo a face-to-face interview, which helps identify those at risk of depression, the

parents are later notified if their children are at risk of the condition.

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People have tried to implement methodologies used in the prevention of depression. For

instance, the Swensrud Depression prevention initiative provides training to the stakeholders for

them to in cooperating the learning into the system for intervention. The initiative aims to assess

depression of the students and teenagers basing on the severity, duration, and domain. Due to

this, the stakeholders can understand depression and put measures in place to counteract its

effects.

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References

Bennet, H. (2008). School-based safety interventions. Harvard Mental Health Letter, 25(3), 2-4.

Retrieved from https://www.health.harvard.edu/newsletter

Italiya, Y., & Nakhat, P. (2019). Almost Depression among Teens and Young Adults. Journal of

Psychosocial Research, 14(2), 411-418.

Wileys, J. (2013). Link Found between Parental Verbal Discipline, Teen Depression [Ebook]

(pp. 3-5). The Browns University Child and Psychopharmacological update.