TY - JOUR
T1 - Authenticity, Vulnerability, and Shame in Peer Relationships among Marginalized Youth Living with Mood and Anxiety Disorders
AU - Sapiro, Beth
AU - Quiroz, Silvia Ramirez
N1 - Funding Information:
This research was supported by a Dissertation Grant from the Fahs-Beck Fund for Research and Experimentation. This research was partially supported by a National Institute of Mental Health grant (R34-MH102525-01A1; PI: Michelle R. Munson, PhD). The views, opinions, and content of this manuscript are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views, opinions, or policies of the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH). Thanks to Michelle Munson for her feedback on this article and to Steven Grossman and Sarah Haworth for assistance with this manuscript.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2022, The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.
PY - 2022
Y1 - 2022
N2 - Meaningful peer relationships are developmentally important for adolescents and young adults. Yet trauma histories and stigma around mental illness can impede connection for marginalized youth living with mental health challenges. This study was grounded in relational-cultural theory, which posits that relationships characterized by authenticity and supported vulnerability foster growth; however, in the absence of support for vulnerability, people are likely to relate inauthentically. This qualitative study explored how young people living with mental health challenges navigated issues of authenticity, shame, and vulnerability in peer relationships. As part of a broader feasibility study of an intervention providing services to youth living with mental illness, in-depth interviews were conducted with 11 young women, ages 17–20. Participants were ethnically diverse, primarily low-income, and most had histories of child maltreatment. Interviews focused on participants’ peer relationships, and were audio recorded and transcribed verbatim. Coders analyzed transcripts using thematic analysis and interpreted results using relational-cultural theory. While nearly all participants identified a friend or romantic partner as a significant peer, their experiences within these relationships varied considerably. These are described as a continuum of authenticity, along which participants varied in their experiences of supported vulnerability, feelings of shame, and willingness to represent themselves authentically in these relationships. Some participants who lived with mental health challenges and histories of trauma experienced close, supportive relationships with friends and intimate partners. The ability of marginalized youth to navigate issues of authenticity, vulnerability, shame and stigma in their peer relationships is a worthwhile focus for both practitioners and researchers.
AB - Meaningful peer relationships are developmentally important for adolescents and young adults. Yet trauma histories and stigma around mental illness can impede connection for marginalized youth living with mental health challenges. This study was grounded in relational-cultural theory, which posits that relationships characterized by authenticity and supported vulnerability foster growth; however, in the absence of support for vulnerability, people are likely to relate inauthentically. This qualitative study explored how young people living with mental health challenges navigated issues of authenticity, shame, and vulnerability in peer relationships. As part of a broader feasibility study of an intervention providing services to youth living with mental illness, in-depth interviews were conducted with 11 young women, ages 17–20. Participants were ethnically diverse, primarily low-income, and most had histories of child maltreatment. Interviews focused on participants’ peer relationships, and were audio recorded and transcribed verbatim. Coders analyzed transcripts using thematic analysis and interpreted results using relational-cultural theory. While nearly all participants identified a friend or romantic partner as a significant peer, their experiences within these relationships varied considerably. These are described as a continuum of authenticity, along which participants varied in their experiences of supported vulnerability, feelings of shame, and willingness to represent themselves authentically in these relationships. Some participants who lived with mental health challenges and histories of trauma experienced close, supportive relationships with friends and intimate partners. The ability of marginalized youth to navigate issues of authenticity, vulnerability, shame and stigma in their peer relationships is a worthwhile focus for both practitioners and researchers.
KW - Authenticity
KW - Marginalized youth
KW - Peer relationships
KW - Stigma
KW - Vulnerability
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85133204647&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1007/s10826-022-02358-2
DO - 10.1007/s10826-022-02358-2
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85133204647
SN - 1062-1024
JO - Journal of Child and Family Studies
JF - Journal of Child and Family Studies
ER -