title: "Did I bring it on myself?" An exploratory study of the beliefs that adolescents referred to mental health services have about the causes of their depression.
abstract: The causal beliefs which adults have regarding their mental health difficulties have been linked to help-seeking behaviour, treatment preferences, and the outcome of therapy; yet, the topic remains a relatively unexplored one in the adolescent literature. This exploratory study aims to explore the causal beliefs regarding depression among a sample of clinically referred adolescents. Seventy seven adolescents, aged between 11 and 17, all diagnosed with moderate to severe depression, were interviewed using a semi-structured interview schedule, at the beginning of their participation in a randomised controlled trial. Data were analysed qualitatively using framework analysis. The study identified three themes related to causal beliefs: (1) bewilderment about why they were depressed; (2) depression as a result of rejection, victimisation, and stress; and (3) something inside is to blame. Although some adolescents struggled to identify the causes of their depression, many identified stressful life experiences as the cause of their current depression. They also tended to emphasise their own negative ways of interpreting those events, and some believed that their depression was caused by something inside them. Adolescents' causal beliefs are likely to have implications for the way they seek help and engage in treatment, making it important to understand how adolescents understand their difficulties.
authors.affiliation: Anna Freud Centre, 12 Maresfield Gardens, London, NW3 5SU, UK. Nick.Midgley@annafreud.org.|Research Department of Clinical, Educational and Health Psychology, University College London, 1-19 Torrington Place, London, WC1E 7HB, UK. Nick.Midgley@annafreud.org.
authors.forename: Nick
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Midgley
authors.affiliation: Anna Freud Centre, 12 Maresfield Gardens, London, NW3 5SU, UK.|Research Department of Clinical, Educational and Health Psychology, University College London, 1-19 Torrington Place, London, WC1E 7HB, UK.
authors.forename: Sally
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Parkinson
authors.affiliation: Anna Freud Centre, 12 Maresfield Gardens, London, NW3 5SU, UK.
authors.forename: Joshua
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Holmes
authors.affiliation: Anna Freud Centre, 12 Maresfield Gardens, London, NW3 5SU, UK.|Research Department of Clinical, Educational and Health Psychology, University College London, 1-19 Torrington Place, London, WC1E 7HB, UK.
authors.forename: Emily
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Stapley
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychological Sciences, Birkbeck College, University of London, Malet Street, London, WC1E 7HX, UK.
authors.forename: Virginia
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Eatough
authors.affiliation: Research Department of Clinical, Educational and Health Psychology, University College London, 1-19 Torrington Place, London, WC1E 7HB, UK.
authors.forename: Mary
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Target
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000294:Adolescent Behavior / Q000523:psychology*; D002648:Child; D003469:Culture; D003863:Depression / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000523:psychology* / Q000628:therapy; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007406:Interview, Psychological / Q000379:methods; D008297:Male; D008605:Mental Health Services; D012017:Referral and Consultation; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000523:psychology
keywords: Adolescence; Causal beliefs; Depression; Qualitative; Understanding