Week 11: Symptoms of the Depression

Story:

A few weeks ago, my senior project advisor Ms. McCollum and I discussed an important concern. Although my survey does utilize two depression screener questions, the survey cannot diagnose a student with depression or identify the source of the depression symptoms. The two questions that have been used to screen for depression only ask students whether they have been “feeling down, depressed or hopeless” and whether they have had “interest or pleasure in doing things” in the past two weeks. In other words, the survey responses collected only address symptoms of depression. Even after identifying these symptoms, no causation relationship can be drawn between the symptoms of depression and a skewed perception of beauty or health.

Analysis:

Among teenagers who show both feelings of hopelessness and lack of interest in activities, 60% and 77.5% find themselves less attractive than other teens and less attractive than celebrities respectively. The majority of these teenagers (65%) are not satisfied with their self-worth. In addition, an overwhelming majority (85%) wish to have more respect for themselves. Although the overall trend from the entire collection of survey responses show teens perceiving themselves to be a bit larger than their desired body size, teens showing the two tested symptoms of depression have demonstrated low self-esteem. This correlation may be explained by the claim that teens use external factors to define their self-worth. Negative mindsets may be affecting these teens’ confidence and perception of themselves relative to other people.

#Casual #AboutSurvey