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Identitetsutveckling på avvägar: om identitet och depression under de sena tonåren

Author

  • Gustav Pinelo Engqvist
  • Matti Cervin

Summary, in English

Although many adolescents experience depressive symptoms relatively little is known about the development and maintenance of adolescent depression. The purpose of the present study was to examine possible links between identity formation and depressive problems during late adolescence. A five-process identity formation questionnaire (Dimensions of Identity Development Scale) was translated into Swedish. In a sample of high school students (N = 82) the questionnaire showed high reliability and high internal and external construct validity. A group of clinically depressed adolescents (N = 26) and a control group of high school students with no depressive problems (N = 26) was compared with regard to identity formation. The clinical group demonstrated significantly lower levels of adaptive identity exploration, significantly lower levels of identification with identity commitments and significantly higher levels of ruminative identity exploration than did the control group. The depressed adolescents were also to a much higher degree than the non-depressed adolescents classified as identity diffused and to a much lower degree classified as having developed an achieved identity. The results show that a broad identity perspective can contribute to the understanding of adolescent depression.

Publishing year

2011

Language

Swedish

Document type

Student publication for professional degree (Master's level)

Topic

  • Social Sciences

Keywords

  • Adolescence
  • Depression
  • Exploration
  • Commitment
  • Identity

Supervisor

  • Per Johnsson (Docent, prefekt)