Paper Example on Researching Childhood Depression: Causes & Treatment

Introduction

My research paper seeks to tackle the issue of depression in children. Further, it aims to establish what are the leading causes of depression in children, and how best to handle it. Depression in children has been described to mean the constant sadness that a child is constantly associated with daily during their growth. Unlike the usual general sadness that children often portray, a child who is depressed usually gets the feeling of being all alone, without hope, without that they can turn to for help and without any sense of worth. They fail to appreciate themselves or see any good in them (Al-Krenawi and Graham, 2012). Instead, they often withdraw and tend to think the worst of themselves.

Is your time best spent reading someone else’s essay? Get a 100% original essay FROM A CERTIFIED WRITER!

Save 25%

Depression, particularly in children, has been proved to have life-log effects on the child. This is because it shapes and determines a child's mentality for the rest of their life. How they shall behave or relate to their peers is dependent on this aspect. Unlike adults, children may not know that they are depressed, and would equally have no idea on how to handle the situation. As such, it would be prudent to determine that a child is depressed early enough, and help the child before it results in permanent damage in their lives (Al-Krenawi and Graham, 2012).

Having been associated with impacts or results that are long-term on a child's life, the surge in depression has resulted in its categorization as an international priority by the World Health Organization (WHO) in 2012.

What do we currently understand about the problem?

Several studies have attempted to establish what some of the causes of depression in children might be and how exactly it impacts their holistic growth and development. Generally, some of the established reasons include unstable homes as a result of divorce, homes prone to domestic violence, low self-esteem, too much use of the internet, guardians or parents who are barely available, abject poverty, constant infliction of physical harm on the child in the name of punishment (Junette and Trishna, 2011).

These instances are best categorized into the following; environmental factors, biological and genetic vulnerability, negative life events, and the general characteristics associated with the child. In addition to that, it has been established that should depression fail to be caught up early and treated, the ramifications are dire (Kidger, Araya, Donovan, 2012) . The negative effects could end up harming both the psychological and social functioning of the child, resulting in self-esteem that is quite low, dismal performance in school, suicidal thoughts, amongst many others.

The symptoms indicating that a child is suffering from depression may be different from one child to another, depending on their ages. Toddlers tend to be restless, disinterested, and having crying attacks that are untriggered. Preschool children tend to adopt attention-seeking behavior, low tolerance to frustration, and have explosive outbreaks. School children tend to bear thoughts that indicate how tired of the life they are, withdrawal, have difficulty concentrating at school, resulting in their poor academic performances.

Some of the proven interventions to combat depression in children can be classified into two; pharmacologic treatment and non-pharmacologic treatment. The former utilizes anti-depressant medications, while the latter implores the use of play, psychosocial. Family and cognitive-behavior therapies.

Literature review

Junette Ranttila and Trishna Shrestha (2011), Understanding Depression in Children and Adolescents.

What are the research problem and research question addressed in the article?

The paper attempts to address concerns regarding some of the key causes of depression amongst both children and adolescents, as well as offering solutions on how to prevent and treat depression in such persons.

What is the theory, framework, or research cited in the article to support the study?

The study is premised on the theory that depression in children is as a result of environmental factors, biological and genetic vulnerability, negative life events, and the general characteristics associated with the child.

Identify the research population, sampling frame, sampling procedure, and sample size?

The research population targeted toddlers, preschool children, school-going children, and adolescents.

Describe the research design, unit of analysis, and methodology.

The research made use of other research materials that had been published, as well as systemic reviews. The systemic reviews put together as a compelling amount of investigation as possible to affirm what has already been established. In the process, it helps guide new research to avoid previous failures and to focus on the successes. Personal opinions were avoided to prevent bias.

Discuss the study findings concerning the research question or hypothesis: what are the main results? Do the conclusions respond directly to the research question or suggestion?

It was established that toddlers tend to be restless, disinterested, and having crying attacks that are untriggered. Preschool children tend to adopt attention-seeking behavior, low tolerance to frustration, and have explosive outbreaks. School children tend to bear thoughts that indicate how tired of the life they are, withdrawal, have difficulty concentrating at school, resulting in their poor academic performances.

Further, various factors result in or cause depression in children. They were determined to include; environmental factors, personality, and vulnerability of the child, negative life events, genetic and biological susceptibility.

Critique the research concerning its strengths, limitations, and ethical issues. Is this study rigorous, please explain?

In including adolescents in its study, the research scope becomes too wide and no longer focused on children. As such, the marginal error of its finding was bound to increase, thus resulting in less accurate data. Overall, the study is rigorous as it comprehensively covers every aspect of the research question, from what it entails, to its causes, signs, and symptoms, to how it can be controlled or prevented altogether.

By relying on already published data, and systemic reviews, the data arrived at has a firm research foundation. Further, the ethical considerations that are established by the HONcode have adhered to the latter.

Al-Krenawi A and Graham JR (2012) The impact of political violence on psychosocial functioning of individuals and families: The case of Palestinian adolescents. Child and Adolescent Mental Health

What are the research problem and research question addressed in the article?

Basing its focus in Palestine, following the constant wars and demonstrations that have destabilized the country's political setup and foundation, the research sought to establish the contribution such an environment makes towards children's upbringing.

What is the theory, framework, or research cited in the article to support the study?

The research bases its founding on the theory that the stability within which a family is founded is directly proportional to that of the country's political landscape. A stable family provides a stable environment within which a child can grow and develop healthily. Therefore, these two aspects are crucial to a child's growth, both directly and indirectly.

Identify the research population, sampling frame, sampling procedure, and sample size?

Various residents in Palestinian households participated in the survey. The paper mostly relied on interviews in the collection of data. The behavioral patterns of students at school who were from Palestinian homes were observed.

Describe the research design, unit of analysis, and methodology.

The research made use of other research materials that had been published, as well as systemic reviews. The systemic reviews put together as a compelling amount of investigation as possible to affirm what has already been established. The focus was on materials that sought to create a link on the impact that political violence has on the stability of homes or families. To find articles that helped to answer the research question categorically, this study employed the use of bias in its research.

Discuss the study findings concerning the research question or hypothesis: what are the main results? Do the conclusions respond directly to the research question or suggestion?

The study proves the effect environmental factors, such as political violence, have on the upbringing of a child. While the effect may be indirect, a family's stability greatly contributes to how a child's mental education shall be. Depression in children is most common in those who come from unstable homes.

Critique the research to its strengths, limitations, and ethical issues. Is this study rigorous, please explain?

While the findings from the research are profound, the only reservation held is the bias nature of the study. This took away the objectivity of the study, and by extent, the findings.

Riglin L, Petrides KV, Frederickson N, et al. (2014) The relationship between emotional problems and subsequent school attainment: A meta-analysis. Journal of Adolescence

What are the research problem and research question addressed in the article?

The article seeks to establish the nexus between depression and the toll it takes on the academic performance of a child.

What is the theory, framework, or research cited in the article to support the study?

It is based on the theory that poor performances at school are a direct symptom of a child who is struggling with depression.

Identify the research population, sampling frame, sampling procedure, and sample size?

The target of the research were school going students who had specifically posted poor academic performances. These academic performances were sampled and analyzed separately.

Describe the research design, unit of analysis, and methodology.

The research utilized other research materials that had been published, as well as systemic reviews. Here, the goal was to establish the relationship between various behaviors exhibited by children who are victims of antisocial behaviors and how they cope through their depression. In this case, registering dismal academic performances

Discuss the study findings of the research question or hypothesis: what are the main results? Do the conclusions respond directly to the research question or suggestion?

It has been mentioned previously that the negative effects of depression could end up harming both the psychological and social functioning of the child, resulting in self-esteem that is quite low, dismal performance in school, suicidal thoughts, amongst many others. In this case, being the constant target of bullying, which causes depression on the child, results in poor performances. These findings in this paper, therefore, affirm the hypothesis.

Critique the research about its strengths, limitations, and ethical issues. Is this study rigorous, please explain?

While this mode of research was heavily biased as well, it is acceptable as it was targeted towards a particular group with something in common. The finding posted are, therefore, accurate at best and provide reliable data to use for this research.

Kidger J, Araya R, Donovan J, et al. (2012) The effect of the school environment on the emotional health of adolescents: A systematic review.

What are the research problem and research question addressed in the article?

The article seeks to establish the role played by the school's environment on the mental state of children and adolescents. It aims to justify further how the nature of contexts within which children are brought up contributes to depression in children.