Developing a Psychosocial Recovery Model for Depressed Young People in Malaysia Using an Adapted Grounded Theory Approach

• Main Authors: Kok, Jin Kuan, Pheh, Kai-Shuen, Lai, Mee Huong
• Format: Book Section
• Language: English
• Published: SAGE Publications Ltd 2018
• Subjects: BF Psychology; RZ Other systems of medicine
• Online Access: http://ir.unimas.my/id/eprint/30563/1/Developing%20a%20Psychosocial%20Recovery%20Model%20for%20Depressed%20Young%20People%20in%20Malaysia%20Using%20an%20Adapted%20Grounded%20Theory%20Approach.pdf; http://ir.unimas.my/id/eprint/30563/; http://methods.sagepub.com/case/psychosocial-recovery-depressed-young-people-in-malaysia-grounded-theory

Depression has become a severe health concern and there is an alarming rise in the depression rate in Malaysia. The main objective of this study is to investigate the role of psychosocial aspects in the depression recovery process among young people in Malaysia. We aimed to develop a depression recovery model from a psychosocial aspect. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 20 participants aged 18 to 40. The recruitment of participants was through referral from clinical settings and snowball sampling via online advertisements. This case study sheds light on our understanding of depression recovery from a non-biomedical model. In this case, we share the challenges faced when conducting this study and how we overcame them by adopting openness and flexibility. Other relevant issues will be discussed, namely, ethical consideration when research participants were researchers’ students or patients, sensitivity needed when conducting interviews related to mental health issues, dealing with the seemingly contradictory issue of non-assumption when adopting a grounded theory approach in research, and integration of the personal experience of recovery into the existing normative definition of recovery.