Women's Conceptions of Coping with Major Depression in Daily Life: A Qualitative, Salutogenic Approach

Abstract

The experience of having a severe disease such as major depression affects all aspects of the individual's life, including family, work, and social functioning. Therefore, the aim of this study was to describe, from a salutogenic approach, women's conceptions of coping with major depression in daily life with the help of professional and lay support. Thirteen women, previously hospitalized for major depression, were included in the study. The women were selected by strategic sampling, and data were analyzed by application of a phenomenographic approach. Four descriptive categories emerged: Self-Healing, Managing, Receiving Social Support, and Finding Meaning. While working their way out of the depression, the women needed to undergo a process of transition, involving both a cognitive and an emotional understanding, which they subsequently translated into health-related actions. The task of psychiatric mental health nurses is to provide care that empowers patients. Future nursing research should explore the circumstances that empower these women to start the transition process, as this process appears to be vital for recovery from major depression.

Health dynamics in camps and on campuses: stressors and coping strategies for wellbeing among labourers and students in Cameroon

“…We were able to identify that resistance resources employed by respondents were either generalized resistance resources (GRRs), which are resources that address a multitude of stressors, or specialized resistance resources (SRRs), which are summoned to address a particular stressor. GRRs and SRRs enable people to perceive their lives as structured and organized (Skärsäter, Dencker, Bergbom, Häggström, & Fridlund, 2003). GRRs have been reported to ascertain the extent to which SRRs are available to people (Mittelmark et al, 2017).…”

Sense of coherence predicts change in life satisfaction among home-living residents in the community with mental health problems: a 1-year follow-up study

“…[37,38]. This includes studies among people with MHP and it has been claimed that traditional therapy has given too much attention to the feelings connected with earlier adverse life events as well as diagnosis and medication, and too little to the potential associated with a person's resources and coping [1,17,19,[39][40][41][42][43][44][45][46]. The present study confirms that it is important to emphasize salutogenesis and possibilities for coping in addition to symptom reduction among people with MHP.…”

Major Depression in a Family: What Happens and How to Manage—a Case Study

“…Although the mother also told others, she was not always taken seriously, which meant that she learnt who she could confide in. Skärsäter, Dencker, Bergbom et al (2003) describe how important it is for women with depression to have someone they trust to talk to, but it must be someone in who they really have confidence.…”

“…The children, as the son mentioned, took over everyday duties. Skärsäter, Dencker, Bergbom et al (2003) found that family members and friends could, for a while, take the woman's position in the home, which facilitated ordinary life while waiting for depression to dissipate. van Wijngaarden et al (2004) reported this and tensed feelings between family members.…”