I Wanted My Father in the Picture! Exploring the Experiences of Black Men Living with Depression

Rationale: Sparse research have explored the experiences of Black men living with diagnosed, or undiagnosed, depression.

Background and Purpose: 15% of the U.S. male population identifies as Black or of African descent. While research findings have indicated that Black men when compared to Whites, Hispanics, or other racial identities had significantly higher rates of depression, few research articles have directly explored, or addressed, explicitly the experiences of Black men living with depression. Of these identified articles, four have proposed techniques that social workers should embrace when working with Black men living with depression.  This study attempted to examine two specific research questions: “What are the experiences of Black males with diagnosed, or undiagnosed, depression?, and “What perspectives do Black males have regarding the underlying causes or assumptions on depression?”

Method: Secondary data analysis was conducted on in-depth interviews with males (N=4) from a larger dissertation study conducted in 2012.  The iterative processes associated with grounded theory methods and thematic analysis were used to obtain a cogent and comprehensive understanding of the transcribed data.  Identified themes were cross referenced with the team, and where there were differences, they were resolved by a discussion.

Major Findings:Participants identified issues with family, barriers to care, and the lack of effective coping skills as key contributors to their depression.  In an effort to deal with their depression, participants identified substances (pills, marijuana, alcohol), suicide, homicide, and sleeping as viable ways to quell their depressive feelings.  All participants identified the role of family dynamics as playing a critical and significant role in how, and when, they decided to initiate treatment.  Interestingly, while the men were extremely appreciative of the role of women in their lives, all participants voiced concerns about their relationship, or lack thereof, with their fathers.  Fathers were seen as elusive figures that failed to shape, and help with, identity, and gender socialization.  The observed lack of healthy relationships with their fathers resulted in these men having lower self-esteem, and higher instances and feelings of detachment, and abandonment, issues.  Ultimately, it appears that when discussing issues with depression, Black men are conscious of the relevant issues that are affecting their lives, specifically as it pertains to their relationship, or lack thereof, with their father.

Implications: This study, to our knowledge, was the first to use qualitative data methods to specifically explore the lived experiences of Black men with clinically, and self, diagnosed depression.  While a strict attention to depression was provided by the participants, they also addressed their unique, and unmet, needs.  These men highlighted the unhealthy relationships and examples that their fathers showed which in turn appeared to be the cause of their depression.  Additionally, the findings suggested that being Black, male, and depressed, often went unnoticed and under researched, resulting in untreated depressed Black males who are attempting to normalize their behaviors without adequate treatment and/or help.