TY - JOUR
T1 - The lived experience of Omani adolescents and young adults with mental illness
T2 - A qualitative study
AU - Al Omari, Omar
AU - Amandu, Gerald
AU - Al-Adawi, Samir
AU - Shebani, Zubaida
AU - Al Harthy, Ibtisam
AU - Obeidat, Arwa
AU - Al Dameery, Khloud
AU - Al Qadire, Mohammad
AU - Al Hashmi, Iman
AU - Al Khawldeh, Abduallh
AU - ALBashtawy, Mohammed
AU - Aljezawi, Maen
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2023 M. Albarzinji et al.
Copyright: © 2023 Al Omari et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
PY - 2023/11/27
Y1 - 2023/11/27
N2 - There is currently limited knowledge about the firsthand experiences of adolescents and young adults with mental health problems and the meanings they ascribe to these experiences, particularly within Arab countries. This study, therefore, aimed to explore the lived experience of Omani adolescents and young adults with a mental health problem. A sample of 15 participants aged 13-22 diagnosed with a range of mental health problems took part in the study. A qualitative interview guide consisting of open-ended questions was used to allow participants to speak in-depth about their experiences. Using the thematic analysis approach to uncover patterns in the data, three major themes emerged: "living in darkness", "perilous journey" and "uncertain future". Results show that the progress of adolescents and young adults with mental health problems is characterized by several challenges; the most significant of which is having insufficient knowledge about their illness, leading to unnecessary delays in their treatment. These findings shed light on the breadth and depth of the experience of adolescents and young adults with mental health problems and lay the groundwork for further examinations. Implications lie in the development of approaches for preventing or mitigating difficulties faced by adolescents and young adults with mental health problems.
AB - There is currently limited knowledge about the firsthand experiences of adolescents and young adults with mental health problems and the meanings they ascribe to these experiences, particularly within Arab countries. This study, therefore, aimed to explore the lived experience of Omani adolescents and young adults with a mental health problem. A sample of 15 participants aged 13-22 diagnosed with a range of mental health problems took part in the study. A qualitative interview guide consisting of open-ended questions was used to allow participants to speak in-depth about their experiences. Using the thematic analysis approach to uncover patterns in the data, three major themes emerged: "living in darkness", "perilous journey" and "uncertain future". Results show that the progress of adolescents and young adults with mental health problems is characterized by several challenges; the most significant of which is having insufficient knowledge about their illness, leading to unnecessary delays in their treatment. These findings shed light on the breadth and depth of the experience of adolescents and young adults with mental health problems and lay the groundwork for further examinations. Implications lie in the development of approaches for preventing or mitigating difficulties faced by adolescents and young adults with mental health problems.
KW - Humans
KW - Adolescent
KW - Young Adult
KW - Mental Disorders/therapy
KW - Qualitative Research
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UR - https://www.mendeley.com/catalogue/192d086a-e7ca-36f0-b119-62f8ba3124f8/
U2 - 10.1371/journal.pone.0294856
DO - 10.1371/journal.pone.0294856
M3 - Article
C2 - 38011180
SN - 1932-6203
VL - 18
SP - e0294856
JO - PLoS One
JF - PLoS One
IS - 11
M1 - e0294856
ER -