Abstract
The problems women in peri-urban Namibia are faced with are multi-dimensional. Like women in other communities they face the pressure of having a number of responsibilities, namely working, being a wife and mother, taking care of their families and perhaps caring for aging parents. Sometimes the pressure can be too overwhelming to manage. As a result, many women become depressed. Studies on depression among black African women in Namibia could not be traced. It was therefore considered to find out how women suffering from depression from this part of the world tell their life stories. The purpose of the study was two-fold: Firstly, to explore and describe the life stories of depressed adult women in peri-urban Namibia, and secondly to use the information obtained to describe guidelines for psychiatric nurses working with these patients at psychiatric outpatient clinics as well as in the community. A qualitative phenomenological research design of an explorative, descriptive and contextual nature was used. The researcher approached the subjects and their experiences with an open mind. Ten depressed adult women between 21-55 years were involved in the research. The researcher strived to adhere to the principles of trustworthiness. To ensure this Guba's model (in Krefting, 1991: 217) of trustworthiness was adopted. All the interviews were analysed following Tesch's method (Creswell, 1994: 154-55). The services of an independent coder were obtained. The results indicated that impaired interpersonal interactions and stressful life events have a negative influence on the daily life of women leading to the development of depressive symptoms. Guidelines to support psychiatric nurses working with depressed women were drawn up.
Highlights
During 1996 (January-December) a total of 403 female psychiatric patients were admitted to Oshakati Hospital Psychiatric Unit in Namibia (Female Admissions’ Register, Oshakati Psychiatric Unit, 19961997)
Depression was often reported being the outstanding clinical manifestation among patients with suicidal tendencies. Community members expressed their concern about the suicide rates
Lack o f personal worth as related to disem pow erm ent as evidenced in loosing control A woman in this phase of her depressive experience is in a crisis situation, confronting her depression
Summary
During 1996 (January-December) a total of 403 female psychiatric patients were admitted to Oshakati Hospital Psychiatric Unit in Namibia (Female Admissions’ Register, Oshakati Psychiatric Unit, 19961997). Guidelines to support psychiatric nurses working with depressed women were drawn up. Exploration and description of the life stories o f depressed adult women.
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