Abstract

Major depression affects up to 40% of U.S. adolescents in mild to severe forms, compromising emotional, academic, and relational functioning, including that of interacting with parents. The purpose of this study was to explore the parent-adolescent relationship during an episode of depression in order to elucidate the adolescent experience of being parented and the parental experience as it contributes to the context of the adolescent. Research questions included: 1) What are the depressed adolescent's meanings and experiences of being parented? 2) How do the meanings and experiences of parenting contribute to the context of the lifeworld of the depressed adolescent?

An adapted Colaizzian (1978) method was used to phenomenologically analyze interview data from 6 adolescents and 5 parents. Findings for adolescents supported an essential pattern of Dysphoric Tension Between Moving Away and Moving Toward, including themes of Feeling Devalued within the Relationship and Renegotiating the Relationship. Parent findings supported the essential pattern of Tension Between Pulling Closer and Letting Go, with 4 themes including Losing the Familiar, At the Nexus of Action, Composing Life with the Stranger, and Crisis Management Within. The adolescent and parent findings were compared for differences and commonalities to assist in understanding the context provided by the parents. Findings were used to refine the investigator's previous model of adolescent depression.

Description

This dissertation has also been disseminated through the ProQuest Dissertations and Theses database. Dissertation/thesis number: 3219748; ProQuest document ID: 305348585. The author still retains copyright.

Author Details

Terri Jean Farmer, PhD, PMHNP-BC

Sigma Membership

Beta Mu

Type

Dissertation

Format Type

Text-based Document

Study Design/Type

Phenomenology

Research Approach

Qualitative Research

Keywords:

Parent-Adolescent Relationships, Adolescents, Depression, Parenting Experiences, Parented Experiences

Advisor

Pamela Reed

Second Advisor

Janice Crist

Degree

PhD

Degree Grantor

The University of Arizona

Degree Year

2006

Rights Holder

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All permission requests should be directed accordingly and not to the Sigma Repository.

All submitting authors or publishers have affirmed that when using material in their work where they do not own copyright, they have obtained permission of the copyright holder prior to submission and the rights holder has been acknowledged as necessary.

Review Type

None: Degree-based Submission

Acquisition

Proxy-submission

Date of Issue

2022-07-14

Full Text of Presentation

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