“You Get Angry Inside Yourself”: Low-Income Adolescent South African Girls’ Subjective Experience of Depression

Abstract

Informed by the feminist social constructionist approach this study aimed at exploring the subjective experiences of depression of lowincome South African adolescent girls. Participants in this study (girls between the ages of 12 and 14) live in a semi-rural low-income coloured community in the Western Cape. Participants were familiar with the concept of depression, but it seemed that for them the central emotion associated with depression was anger, which often manifested in destructive behaviours. Furthermore, participants seemed to construct depression as a relational problem, suggesting that psychotherapy may be indicated as an important intervention strategy.

“In this place we have found sisterhood”: perceptions of how participating in a peer-group club intervention benefited South African adolescent girls and young women

“…The perception of being able to share one's emotions in the context of a supportive relationship, as felt by the AGYW club members in our study, is a critical component for good mental health (Duby et al, 2020;Meyer & Kruger, 2015). Emotional support encompassing behaviours such as listening, expressing love, and appreciation is the most beneficial type of support for people suffering from depression, helping to alleviate depressive symptoms, and engender a sense of acceptance that reinforces self-esteem (Camara et al, 2015;Meyer & Kruger, 2015).…”

“As a Young Pregnant Girl… The Challenges You Face”: Exploring the Intersection Between Mental Health and Sexual and Reproductive Health Amongst Adolescent Girls and Young Women in South Africa

“…AGYW in our study associated low self-esteem and low self-worth with depression and suicidal ideation. Negative self-cognitions and low self-worth are associated with depression, and positive self-esteem is a critical component of emotional well-being [29]. Adolescents' ability to manage their stress symptoms or address the stressor they encounter may be pivotal to protecting their mental health state, as it may buffer the impact of experienced stress on mental health [13].…”

“…The biomedical/clinical understandings and definitions of "depression" and "unintended pregnancy" may not always capture an individual's subjective experiences and articulation of these states [41], and in order for any intervention to be successful, there is a need to be sensitive and reflective of the reality of people's lives, with an understanding of the language that AGYW use to describe their lived experiences of depression and pregnancy, which is why qualitative research such as the findings we present here, is much needed [40]. Indeed, AGYW in South Africa construct "depression" and pregnancy is a complex phenomenon manifesting in a variety of emotions, thoughts, and behaviours; finding ways to surface contextually congruent understandings of sexual and reproductive health, and mental health can inform the development of interventions that are contextually and population relevant [29]. Mental health and SRH interventions and services need to be contextually appropriate and reflective of the reality of people's lives.…”

“…In addition to contextual and conceptual equivalence, linguistic equivalence of terms related to mental health should be taken into account. The words “depression” and “anxiety” do not have direct equivalents in some South African languages, with psychological distress, including depression, described behaviourally rather than cognitively, and expressed and/or experienced somatically, or situated within the relational domain [ 29 , 38 ]. In addition, the term “unintended pregnancy” is problematic, with traditional measurements dichotomously classifying pregnancies as intended or not, based on a woman’s intentions before she became pregnant [ 39 , 40 ].…”