How African American Adolescents Manage Depression: Being With Others.
Halima Al-Khattab, Ukamaka Oruche, Danielle Perkins and 1 others
PMID 27519613WHAT IT FOUND
African American adolescents described managing depression through five relationship patterns: hiding feelings, lashing out, seeking help, joining activities, or receiving outreach.
These interactions sometimes worsened distress but often provided support or distraction, highlighting the need for clinicians to assess social engagement changes rather than relying solely on verbal disclosure.
Key findings
01Participants used five distinct ways to manage depression through interactions: keeping others at bay, striking out at others, seeking help from others, joining in with others, and having others reach out.
02Female participants were more likely to withdraw and hide symptoms, while male participants were more likely to show overt anger or engage in harmful behaviors, leading to different responses from their social networks.
03Seeking help or having others reach out often resulted in positive outcomes like feeling supported or calmer, but could also lead to rejection or discomfort if the approach was perceived as rude or if the adolescent feared negative consequences.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
Participants were not asked directly about their interactions with others, so some relevant social dynamics may have been omitted. The young adult group provided retrospective accounts, which may be affected by memory loss over time. Young adults were not formally diagnosed with depression via a clinical interview, relying on self-report. The sample was small (n=27) and limited to African Americans, so findings may not generalize to other groups.
Declared interests
The authors declared no potential conflicts of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not interpret these relationship patterns as evidence that specific social interventions prevent or treat depression. This study describes how adolescents managed their symptoms, not the efficacy of those strategies.