Depression in Teenagers

Locate a peer-reviewed qualitative research study in the Ashford University Library on the topic you chose in Week One for your Final Research Proposal. You may choose to use a qualitative study that was included in the literature review you used in the Week One assignment by searching the reference list for qualitative research studies on the topic. It is also acceptable to utilize a qualitative research study on your topic that was not included in your literature review.

Once you have located an appropriate qualitative study, identify the specific qualitative research design used. Summarize the main points of the study including information on the research question, sampling strategy, research design, data analysis method(s), findings, and conclusion(s). Evaluate the published qualitative research study focusing on and identifying the researcher’s paradigm or worldview and any evidence of reflexivity described in the report. Explain whether or not potential biases were adequately addressed by the researchers. Describe how the researchers applied ethical principles in the research study.

MODEL ANSWER

Depression in Teenagers

Overview

This paper analyses a qualitative paper on depression among adolescents. It will take a closer look into the qualitative method design and its | PLACE YOUR ORDER NOW AT writtask.com | explore the research question that the author intended to answer, the sampling strategy, data analysis, discussions, and conclusions. Besides, this paper will identify the researcher’s perspective of the phenomenon and any proof of reflexivity in | PLACE YOUR ORDER NOW AT writtask.com | paper will demonstrate whether the researcher addressed any potential biases and how they applied ethical principles in their research. The chosen qualitative paper is written by Watson, Harvey, McCabe and Reynolds (2020).

Article Summary

Watson et al. (2019) conducted a qualitative study that aimed at understanding anhedonia or loss of pleasure and interest experience among adolescent | PLACE YOUR ORDER NOW AT writtask.com | sought to answer the question: How do adolescents experience and describe anhedonia as a significant symptom of | PLACE YOUR ORDER NOW AT writtask.com | used a qualitative design through semi-structured interviews. The participants were teenagers in the age bracket of 13 to 18 from the community where 55 percent represented males and 42 percent | PLACE YOUR ORDER NOW AT writtask.com | interviewed 34 young people where N = 12 had a primary depression diagnosis and N=22 increased depressive symptoms. The researchers recruited participants from the community through three schools in South | PLACE YOUR ORDER NOW AT writtask.com | schools, one single-sex school allowed the researchers to represent male teenagers adequately because clinical samples often marginalize them.

The screening methods for adolescents showing depression symptoms included the Short Mood and Feelings Questionnaire (SMFQ) and the Mood Feelings Questionnaire (MFQ), short and long | PLACE YOUR ORDER NOW AT writtask.com | highly reliable and moderately accurate and scholars recommend it as a depression-screening instrument in the UK. The researchers used a topic guide based on their research and clinical expertise and experience in the anhedonia, qualitative methodology, and | PLACE YOUR ORDER NOW AT writtask.com | assessed the interview questions through pre-testing and revision. The topic guide covered issues including past and current hobbies and interests, plans and enjoyment, and loss or changes of interest and | PLACE YOUR ORDER NOW AT writtask.com | questions were flexible and followed an open-ended format with prompts to collect enriched narratives about the participants’ experiences.

Analysis

            The researchers used a thematic analysis method to recognize and investigate meaning patterns while focusing on the most prominent content | PLACE YOUR ORDER NOW AT writtask.com | used the Nvivo software to conduct the | PLACE YOUR ORDER NOW AT writtask.com | was ideal for determining a group’s perspective on a particular phenomenon. Since the analysis approach is not associated with epistemological or ontological viewpoints, the researchers adopted a post-positivist or critical realist | PLACE YOUR ORDER NOW AT writtask.com | f thought assumes that reality is commensurable and observable provided the participants are unaware of all the aspects that affect their experiences. 

Findings and Conclusions The researchers found several themes concerning the experiences of adolescents including experiencing emotional flattening and loss of joy, struggling with active involvement and motivation, losing connection and sense of belonging, and being unsure of self-purpose and the | PLACE YOUR ORDER NOW AT writtask.com | depicted definitive aspects of the teenagers’ experiences but some showed contextual overlap. The researchers found that adolescents had varied experiences that create | PLACE YOUR ORDER NOW AT writtask.com | included emotional blunting, motivational loss and unwillingness to get involved, a positive affect loss, social withdrawal, purpose loss, and hopelessness. Adolescents with a formal…