Coping with depression: a narrative study of an online depression community in China.

Publisher: Taylor & Francis Country of Publication: United States NLM ID: 101256506 Publication Model: Print-Electronic Cited Medium: Internet ISSN: 1748-2631 (Electronic) Linking ISSN: 17482623 NLM ISO Abbreviation: Int J Qual Stud Health Well-being Subsets: MEDLINE

Publication: 2016- : Philadelphia, PA : Taylor & Francis
Original Publication: London ; New York : Taylor & Francis, c2006-

Depression* ; Adaptation, Psychological*; Humans ; Social Support ; China ; Emotions

Purpose: The goal of this study was to explore the coping strategies of depression sufferers that have worked for them based on the study of an online depression community.
Methods: We conducted a thematic narrative analysis of 120 stories posted by the members in the largest online depression community in China. MaxQDA version 18 was used to code the data, and the analytic approach was consistent with the category-centred approach of grounded theory.
Results: The study found that the coping strategies mainly include self-reconciliation (e.g., perceiving/accepting feelings, accepting the present self, and holding hope for the future), actions (recreational activities, physical exercise, and engaging in volunteer work), addressing the stressors and symptoms (e.g., staying away from stressors, seeing the doctor), and seeking interpersonal support (e.g., seeking support from family, friends, and peers).
Conclusion: The findings revealed the coping strategies that were helpful and examined how they functioned for the affected members, which make up for the lack of attention to the individual experiences of depression sufferers in coping research. The findings also have practical implications for the related education and consultation, providing useful insights for doctors and patients. These ways of coping are based on depression sufferer' anonymous narratives, which can be convincing to clients.

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Keywords: Depression; action; coping; online community; seeking support; self-reconciliation; stressors

Date Created: 20231017 Date Completed: 20231023 Latest Revision: 20231023

20231215

PMC10583619

10.1080/17482631.2023.2268379

37847860