Young adults experiences of stigma related to seeking therapy for depression in Japan - a qualitative study.

Young adults experiences of stigma related to seeking therapy for depression in Japan - a qualitative study.

Introduction - Brendan

You should provide a short overview (1 paragraph max) of what is known about this topic, indicate that your research question is.

1. How do young adults in Japan perceive and experience stigma related to seeking therapy for depression?

Located in Eastern Asia, Japan is a country rooted in tradition. With 28% of the population being over 65 years old, Japan is home to one of the oldest populations in the world (Population Reference Bureau, 2023).

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6019626/#:~:text=There%20is%20evidence%20that%20stigma,et%20al.%2C%202006).

Methods

Participants - Zofia

The study will employ a maximum variation sampling method (Patton, 2002). This is a form of purposive sampling that aims at including heterogeneous participants to document their unique experiences and identify possible commonalities across their experiences despite their differences. The experience of stigma related to seeking therapy may vary depending on where the services were sought. Therefore, the study will aim to diversify the sample based on geographic location. Participants will be sampled from the Kant region; specifically from the Tokyo metropolis and the Gunma prefecture. The Gunma prefecture has one of the more diverse geographies in the Kant region including cities, towns and villages. This will enable participants of various socio-economic backgrounds to be recruited, who will have been exposed to different services. Heterogeneity will also be sought in terms of gender and employment type (including college attendance). The inclusion criteria for the study are limited by diagnosis of depression and the age range of 18 to 29. A minimum of 20 participants will be the initial target sample size for recruitment. However, sampling will terminate once data saturation is reached, whereby repetition of information is apparent within interviews (Saunders et al., 2018). Recruitment will be advertised within local clinics, counselling centres and hospitals. It will also be advertised on college campuses and by email to college students. As stigma is a sensitive topic, participant confidentiality will be of high importance in the study procedure, and this will be highlighted in participant information leaflets. This will include a private and enclosed setting of where interviews are conducted and collecting data from participants individually.

Collection-RONNIE (Rough draft)

2 researchers, one local with japanese language and foreign, english. From 2 universities.

Interviews: description how will be conducted, why we chose the method, semi structure

trustworthiness and credibility

In this qualitative study focusing on young adults experiences of stigma related to seeking therapy for depression in Japan, the data collection process will be carried out by two researchers, one local researcher fluent in Japanese and one foreign researcher fluent in English, from two different universities.

Interviews will be the primary method of data collection, as they provide an opportunity for participants to share their thoughts, feelings, and experiences in a structured yet open-ended manner. The researchers chose this method because it allows for in-depth exploration of the participants' perceptions and experiences related to stigma surrounding therapy for depression. The interviews will be semi-structured, allowing for flexibility in the conversation while ensuring key topics are covered.

To ensure trustworthiness and credibility of the data collected, the researchers will establish rapport with the participants, maintain confidentiality, and ensure that the participants feel comfortable sharing their experiences. Additionally, the researchers will aim for data saturation by conducting interviews with a diverse range of young adults from both Tokyo and a rural town in Japan, representing different socio-economic groups.

The interviews will be audio recorded and transcribed manually by the researcher fluent in the language of the interviewee. This approach will ensure that the nuances and subtleties of the participants' responses are captured accurately.

Analysis (Maggie-283 words)

The interviews will be audio recorded and manually transcribed by the researcher who speaks the language of the interviewee.

The approach that will be used to analyse the qualitative data will follow the thematic analysis framework proposed by Braun and Clark (2006). With an inductive perspective, the aim is to discover, analyse and present themes within a qualitative data set.

The forthcoming analysis will follow the six-step approach suggested by the authors. To initiate the process, the two researchers will go through the data by repeatedly reviewing the transcripts of the interviews while listening to the corresponding audio files. The accuracy of the transcriptions will be verified by cross-referencing the audio content while reading the transcripts.

NVivo 14 (Lumivero, 2023) will be used as the qualitative data analysis software to generate broad, non-hierarchical codes for segments, phrases and words within each interview to mark relevant sections. These open codes will then be organised into sub-themes and themes that ideally transcend the questions asked in the interview. The identified themes will be reviewed again by the researchers to ensure comprehensive coverage of the topics discussed by the participants across the data set and to provide additional coding where necessary.

This researcher triangulation provides more robust validity by providing different observations and inferences about the themes (Carter et al., 2014), finding not only convergence but also disconfirming evidence (Creswell and Miller, 2000). This also enhances reliability by allowing for a comprehensive use of data with a constant comparison of data, including deviant cases as suggested by Leung (2015).

The final presentation of findings is structured around these identified themes and sub-themes, with each theme carefully defined and supported by relevant quotations from the interviews.

References

Patton, M. Q. (2002). Qualitative research and evaluation methods (3rd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

Saunders, B., Sim, J., Kingstone, T., Baker, S., Waterfield, J., Bartlam, B., Burroughs, H., & Jinks, C. (2018). Saturation in qualitative research: exploring its conceptualization and operationalization. Quality & quantity, 52(4), 18931907. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11135-017-0574-8

References

Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2006). Using thematic analysis in psychology. Qualitative Research in Psychology, 3(2), 77-101. doi:10.1191/1478088706qp063oa

Carter, N., Bryant-Lukosius, D., DiCenso, A., Blythe, J., & Neville, A. (2014). The use of triangulation in qualitative research. Oncology Nursing Forum, 41(5), 545-7.

Creswell, J. W., & Miller, D. L. (2000). Determining Validity in Qualitative Inquiry. Theory Into Practice, 39(3), 124-130. doi:10.1207/s15430421tip3903_2

Leung, L. (2015). Validity, reliability, and generalizability in qualitative research. Journal of family medicine and primary care, 4(3), 324-327. doi:10.4103/2249-4863.161306

Lumivero (2023) NVivo (Version 14) Retrieved from: www.lumivero.com on February 2024.

Population Reference Bureau. (2020, March 23). Countries with the oldest populations in the world. PRB. https://www.prb.org/resources/countries-with-the-oldest-populations-in-the-world/