Experience of overcoming depression in middle-aged men

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to in-depth understanding and description of the experiences of middle-aged men with depression. This is a qualitative study that applies the grounded theory method proposed by Corbin and Strauss(2008) to elucidate and comprehensively explain the experiences of overcoming depression experienced by middle-aged men. The research question for this purpose is "What is the experience of middle-aged men overcoming depression?" The participants in this study were 13 middle-aged men who experienced depression. The age distribution of the participants was 41 to 63 years old, and they had 2 to 10 years of treatment experience after being diagnosed with major depressive disorder by a psychiatrist. During the individual in-depth interview, the participants reported that their depression had improved, and when measuring the degree of depression using the 2nd edition of the Korean version of the Beck Depression Scale (K-BDI-II), their depression was in the mildest level with a score of 3 to 13. As a result of continuous comparative analysis with interview data from the 13 participants in this study, 29 concepts were created. After classifying these concepts into 20 subcategories, 16 more abstract categories were finally derived. A paradigm-based model was derived while clearly confirming the relationship between the categories. The central phenomenon in middle-aged men's experiences of overcoming depression was the "fear of loss of self-existence" which was revealed by the causal condition of "separating from the real world" Contextual conditions were "social prejudice against mental illness" and "pressure to support family" and interventional conditions were "support from others" and "trust in treatment". Action/interaction strategies were identified as "motivate yourself" "maintain a healthy lifestyle" "continue to participate in outdoor activities" "balance thoughts and emotions" and "reflect on oneself" The results were "recovery from physical and mental pain" "realization of the importance of one's existence" "expansion of perception of the situation" "creating an altruistic mind" and "reestablishment of values for life" The core category of this study was "accepting one's existence as it is" As the participants overcame depression, the phenomenon of "fear of loss of self-existence" appeared repeatedly and was resolved by accepting the existence of oneself as it is. It was confirmed that the participants of this study accepted their existence as they were in the process of overcoming depression and experienced the process of self-compassion, finding a breakthrough, trying to change, and growing over time. In the self-compassion stage, participants consider themselves a burden, being alone in a corner of a gloomy world, rejecting help from those around them because they are too humble. In the step of seeking a breakthrough, he thinks that he can no longer live like this, and he shows his will to start over by regaining his mind to live while looking at the precious beings around him and the objects of a situation more difficult than his own. In the change attempt stage, participants find emotional stability while improving their unhealthy lifestyle and participating in and maintaining external activities. In the growth stage, participant develop reflecting on their incorrect actions by immersing themselves in other things, objectively recognizing problematic situation and looking back on their past lives even when depression comes. In this study, what are the main events and problems that appear through the experience of overcoming depression in the socio-cultural context of middle-aged men. Furthermore specific strategies according to the causal and interventional conditions that cause the problem have been identified, so that middle-aged men who experience depression can overcome it. This is meaningful in that it promotes a general understanding of possible phenomena. by revealing the socio-psychological process that middle-aged men experience as they overcome depression. it will provide a direction for the development of practical nursing interventions.

본 연구는 우울을 극복하는 중년기 남성의 경험을 심층적으로 파악하여 기술하고자 하였다. 중년기 남성이 경험하는 우울 극복의 경험을 밝히고 포괄적으로 설명하기 위해서 Corbin과 Strauss(2008)가 제시한 근거이론 방법을 적용한 질적 연구이다. 이 목적을 위한 연구 질문은 ‘중년기 남성의 우울 극복 경험은 어떠한가?’ 이다. 본 연구의 참여자는 우울 극복을 경험한 13명의 중년기 남성이다. 참여자의 연령분포는 41～63세이며, 정신건강의학과 전문의로부터 주요우울장애 진단을 받고 2년～10년의 치료 경험이 있다. 개별 심층 면담 시 참여자는 스스로 우울이 호전되었다고 보고하였고 한국판 벡 우울 척도 2판(K-BDI-Ⅱ)을 이용하여 우울 정도 측정 시 3～13점으로 최경도 수준 상태였다. 본 연구에서 참여자 13명의 면담자료를 가지고 지속해서 비교 분석한 결과 생성한 개념은 29개였다. 이러한 개념을 20개의 하위범주로 분류한 후에 보다 추상화시킨 16개의 범주가 최종적으로 도출되었다.