Depression and perceived social support : overview

Abstract

This paper provides a content analysis of studies focusing on depression and the perceived social support that have been published in online journals from Science Direct database. A total of 328 articles on depression and the perceived social support were selected from 2014 to 2018. Then, 10 articles were selected and analysed based on the scope and the highlighted category. The main focus is to conduct content analysis based on (i) the people who give and receive social support, (ii) ways of giving social support, (iii) the main finding of the articles. The result shows social support from parents is vital to prevent and treat depression. Parents are expected to increase parenting skill and knowledge in developing children positive self-image and empathy towards others. This helps their children to handle stressful life better and serve social support for those in need. The study also found limited discussion on spiritual support in dealing with stress and depression.