Effects of psychiatric hospital admission on young people’s identity
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Exploring the Subjective Effects of Psychiatric Hospitalisation on Adolescent Identity Formation
IRAS ID
136888
Contact name
Rachel Gilbert
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Canterbury Christ Church University
Research summary
This project will look at how young people who have been admitted to a psychiatric hospital make sense of this in relation to their developing sense of who they are in the world. This is a loose way of describing what is meant by the young person’s “identity“.
“Identity formation” is the process of forming this identity and is thought to be an essential part of young people’s development. “Identity achievement“ involves developing goals for the future, beginning to form close relationships with others, becoming increasingly independent from parents, adjusting to body changes and feeling valued by other people, (see Erikson, 1968; Carter & McGoldrick, 1999). On the other hand, many studies have suggested that there is a link between having a confused identity (not achieving the tasks above) and experiencing severe mental health problems in adult life, (Goth et al., 2012; Marcia, 2006).
Studies with young adults so far have suggested that the experience of hospitalisation can change their view of “who they are… and what they can manage in the future”, disrupts their usual social roles afeects their emotional wellbeing, (Larsen, 2005: p. 206; Haynes, Eivors & Crossley, 2011). This project aims to better understand how hospitalisation and diagnosis are perceived to affect the process of adolescent identity formation and to make recommendations to maximise any positive benefits to service users.
Adolescents aged 12-17 who are currently in hospital, or who have been in the past, will be invited to take part in an interview lasting 1 hour to talk about their experiences and their identity. Interviews will take place in an NHS location familiar to the young person and will be analysed using a qualitative methodology (looking for common themes in what the young people talk about). All participants will be invited to give feedback on the results of the study.
REC name
London - Camden & Kings Cross Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
14/LO/0417
Date of REC Opinion
2 May 2014
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion