Emerging adulthood and the perceptions of parental depression

Background. Few studies have examined the perceptions of emerging adults especially those from non-normative family backgrounds. This dissertation is an exploratory qualitative analysis of the perceptions of sixteen emerging adults from a non-normative family context, i.e., parental depression. Methods. This study is a primary analysis of secondary data from a longitudinal preventive intervention study of depression in families. The respondents were purposefully selected to represent both genders, as well as, higher and lower levels of family adversity. Archived interview narratives from three time points when the respondents were 17, 18 and 19 years old, were chosen for analysis. The research questions guiding the study include, (a) the perceptions of parental depression, (b) the shifts in perspectives between the ages of 17, 18 and 19 years and (c) the perceived impact of parental depression. Results. Five perspectives towards parental depression were found to exist in this sample set. These included two self-oriented perspectives (resistance, negativity), one unresolved perspective (ambivalence) and two other-oriented perspectives (acceptance and compassion). These perspectives offered insights into both the perception of parental depression, as well as, the relational dynamic with the depressed parent. For many of the respondents, changes in the perception of parental depression over time included shifts from being self-oriented to being other-oriented. Some respondents, especially those from lower adversity families revealed little change in perspective over time. The perceived impact of parental depression mirrored the five perspectives and included resistance, disempowerment, ambivalence, reconciliation with loss, and, sensitivity to others. Respondents with a personal history of depression could not distinguish clearly between the impact of parental depression, and their own experience of the illness. Implications. The perception of parental depression was not homogenous, and not always negative. Many emerging adults differentiated themselves from their peers without a family history of depression, by references to an early maturation, difficulties in interpersonal interactions, and heightened sensitivity to others. There are emerging indications that these influences relate to their perception of the parent's illness, their gender and the level of family adversity.