Mapping Adolescents’ Experiences with Depression and Psychotherapy Using A Mixed-Methods Approach to Tailor Youth Assessment
Year: 2026
Type: preprint
Abstract: Depression is a debilitating condition that is highly prevalent among adolescents. However, depression is often understood through a nomothetic lens, meaning that there is a tendency to measure general patterns of symptoms. This risks overgeneralisation that largely ignores the individual, lived experiences of depressed youth. We develop and demonstrate a mixed-methods assessment approach in which participants can identify and elaborate on what lived experiences are important to them in therapy. Participants were 21 university students (M = 20.5, SD = 1.3) who had attended some form of psychotherapy in the past 2 years. Participants first performed a statement-sorting task, in which they rate the subjective importance of youth-identified experiences of depression and psychotherapy. This task is followed by an interview on their reasons for prioritising statements. Descriptives of the statement ratings indicated that there was a high variability in how the statements were rated. Thematic analysis was conducted to examine this heterogeneity, and to explain why participants had different priorities. The generated themes concerned: 1) different rationales for prioritisation of problems when navigating core problems versus “minor” problems, 2) differences in the effect of trust in the therapist on the course of therapy, 3) the degree to which one’s mental health concerns are part of one’s identity, and 4) if and how individuals chose to accept social support. These findings underscore the variety in psychotherapy experiences, and suggest the need to prioritise different things in psychotherapy assessment through a tailored approach.
Source: PsyArXiv (OSF Preprints)
Institutions: Ghent University, KU Leuven
Language: English
Subfield: Clinical Psychology
Field: Psychology
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W7223232747