A qualitative study on the medical experience of caregivers of adolescent depression
10.12026/j.issn.1001-8565.2025.05.07
- VernacularTitle:青少年抑郁症照护者就医体验的质性研究
- Author:
Jingwen LIU
1
;
Rui DENG
2
Author Information
1. School of Medical Sciences， Shanxi Medical University， Taiyuan 030001， China
2. School of Humanities and Social Sciences， Shanxi Medical University， Taiyuan 030001， China
- Publication Type:Journal Article
- Keywords:
adolescent depression;
caregiver;
medical experience;
qualitative study
- From:
Chinese Medical Ethics
2025;38(5):588-595
- CountryChina
- Language:Chinese
-
Abstract:
ObjectiveTo explore the medical experience of caregivers of adolescent depression. MethodsIn-depth interviews were conducted with 35 caregivers of hospitalized adolescents with depression undergoing treatment， to explore their experiences and feelings during their children’s medical treatment. The Colaizzi phenomenological seven-step analysis method was employed to summarize and extract themes. ResultsA total of five themes were extracted， including the transformation of attitude towards the disease from denial to acceptance； the treatment process failing to meet expectations； complex emotional experiences featuring the coexistence of hope and disappointment； negative feedback regarding communication with medical staff； difficulties in accessing medical services， and the expectation for more assistance. ConclusionCaregivers lack sufficient knowledge about the disease during their children’s medical-seeking process， the disease treatment process fails to meet expectations， and there is negative feedback regarding communication with medical staff. Overall， medical experience is complex， and current medical services still have deficiencies. It is urgent to pay attention to the medical experiences of caregivers， enhance their disease cognition， standardize the diagnosis and treatment process， improve the effect of doctor-patient communication， expand multi-channel medical-seeking methods， and further meet the needs of patients and caregivers.
