Depression amongst African American Youth

Depression amongst African American Youth

Ofonedu, M. E., Percy, W. H., Harris-Britt, A., & Belcher, H. M. (2013). Depression in inner city African American youth: A phenomenological study. Journal of Child and Family Studies, 22(1), 96-106.

Mirian E. Ofonedu et al prepared an intriguing research study regarding depression amongst African American youths in a study dated 2012. The study explores the definition of depression which is a mental health disorder that is often associated with anxiety or impulse control disorder that results in lowering or elevation of an individual’s mood leading to loss of interest in activities hence affecting the individual lifestyle. The study also discusses the causes of depression and how the African American youths are the most affected by depression compared to their White counterparts. Arguably, the writers also seek to ascertain how the geographical environment seems to affect the youths on their daily activities that might result in mood disorders hence leading to depression.

According to the study, Mirian et al understand the limitations of the research as it based on a few participants and does not generally project to the overall population. It is quite explained in the text of the ethical implications of the study and the tactics used during the research to provide the findings. The authors however are descriptive of the methods implied during the research and the provided references form the basis to support the purpose of the research project. The references also provide the ideal that the research project is well researched.

The research study was based on five themes that relate to the experiences faced by African American youths. These themes were to establish the depth of the depression, find what experiences are the root cause of depression, the emotional turmoil, the survival, and healing from depression. The authors discovered that different experiences form the grounds for depression an example being death or financial crisis (Estreet et al, 2018). Henceforth emotional support and counseling would enable the majority of the youth to recover from such emotional strain and eventually manage to lead a normal lifestyle.

Reference

Estreet, A. T., Thurman, D., Goodman, S., Tirmazi, M. T., Carter, T. J., & Nebbitt, V. (2018). Examining the role of parental factors on depression among Urban African American youth living in public housing. Journal of Human Behavior in the Social Environment, 28(4), 494-508.