A Comparative Study of Hopelessness and Perception of Stress among Depressed and Non-Depressed Adolescents

Abstract

Depression is a major psychological disorder among all age groups in the world. But in adolescents and young adults age, it is very common. It is correlated with many psychological factors like hopelessness and perception of stress which aggravates alarming consequences. Hence, there is an urgent need for addressing mental health issues of depression. This current study focuses on the statistical differences in hopelessness and perception of stress among depressed and non-depressed adolescents and gender differences in hopelessness and perception of stress among adolescents. The quantitative technique had utilized for data collection. The researcher had been used two types of independent variables “Gender” and “Adolescents” both have two levels (Gender: male and female; Adolescents: Depressed and Non-Depressed). This study is based on a 2×2 factorial design. After screening 1000 participants, the researcher selected 120 participants (60 depressed and 60 non-depressed adolescents) on the basis of their BDI-II scores, from two colleges in Cuttack. The sample was used ages 18 to 21 years having a moderate level of depression in case of depressed adolescent participants. In this study, Beck’s Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II) was used to identify and distinguish between moderate depression and non-depression participants. The Beck Hopelessness Scale (BHS) and Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) were used for the collection of data from participants. Two-way ANOVA was used for data analysis and hypothesis testing. Results concluded statistically significant differences between depressed and non-depressed adolescents for hopelessness and perception of stress. But no such gender differences were found among males and females in their hopelessness and perception of stress. The interaction effect were also not significant. This study has both theoretical and practical implications for counsellors, psychologists and professional practitioners.