Research master thesis | Psychology (research) (MSc)
open access
2024-08-01T00:00:00Z
Causal beliefs about depression can shape patient behavior and treatment adherence and in the case of adolescent depression, causal beliefs of both depressed adolescents and their parents seem to...Show moreCausal beliefs about depression can shape patient behavior and treatment adherence and in the case of adolescent depression, causal beliefs of both depressed adolescents and their parents seem to be of equal importance. In this mixed-method study, we aimed to 1) qualitatively identify the causal beliefs of depression reported by clinically referred adolescents and their parents, and examine the discrepancies between mother-child and father-child pairs and to 2) quantitatively assess the relationship between these discrepancies and adolescent depression severity, and investigate whether this relationship was moderated by the adolescent’s attachment security with their parents. As part of the RE-PAIR project, a total of 34 adolescents, 34 mothers, and 26 fathers participated in interviews and completed questionnaires. The interview data was analyzed using thematic analysis in ATLAS.ti, and hierarchical regression analysis in SPSS was conducted to test the moderation hypothesis. The results revealed a total of 12 distinct causal beliefs, centered around relational issues, stressful family context, and inherent characteristics of the adolescent. We found high discrepancy levels (i.e. low agreement: 0-54%) between the reports of adolescents and their parents regarding these beliefs. However, these high discrepancies did not significantly relate to the severity of adolescent depression. While this study was the first to examine both adolescent and parental causal beliefs in a discrepancy-depression framework, further research is needed to understand the impact of discrepant perspectives on treatment outcomes and to explore the level of parental insight and understanding (e.g. good communication/ attachment security) for their adolescents’ perspective, despite differing views.Show less
