Impact of Depression on the Physical Health of Young Adults - Research

This research proposal examines the significant impact of depression on the physical health of young adults. It begins with an introduction that defines depression and highlights its various causes and symptoms, such as anxiety, insomnia, and changes in weight. The proposal aims to analyze the effects of depression on physical health, identify challenges faced by young adults, and explore management strategies. The literature review emphasizes how depression affects physical well-being, including energy levels and chronic pain, and discusses challenges such as loss of social support and medication side effects. The methodology outlines a deductive research approach with a descriptive design, using questionnaires for data collection and quantitative analysis with a sample size of 50 respondents using simple random sampling. The proposal concludes with a list of relevant references, including books, journals, and online resources, providing a comprehensive overview of the research topic.

Research Proposal

Contents
Topic: Impact of depression on the physical health of young adults.....................................................3
INTRODUCTION.....................................................................................................................................3
Research Aim..........................................................................................................................................3
Research Objectives................................................................................................................................3
Research Questions.................................................................................................................................3
Rationale for choosing this project..........................................................................................................3
Literature Review......................................................................................................................................4
Methodology..............................................................................................................................................5
REFERENCES..........................................................................................................................................6

Topic: Impact of depression on the physical health of young adults.
INTRODUCTION
Depression can be referred to as a mental health disorder that is characterized by
constantly depressed mood or a loss of interest in day-to-day activities which causes an
impairment in the daily life to a great extent (Anaby and et.al., 2020). There can be various
causes of depression in young adults such as stress, peer problems, witness of violence etc. The
symptoms of depression in young adults can include anxiety, guilt, insomnia, lack of
concentration, weight gain or weight loss, low energy levels etc. Therefore, it is important for the
healthcare professionals as well as the friends and family members of the individual to adopt
appropriate measures so as to control and manage the situation properly. The report will explain
the impact of depression on the physical health of young adults.
Research Aim
“To analyze the impact of depression on the physical health of young adults.”
Research Objectives
 To analyze the impact of depression on the physical health of young adults.
 To identify the challenges faced by young adults who are dealing with depression.
 To determine the different measures that can be adopted for managing depression in
young people.
Research Questions
 What is the impact of depression on the physical health of young adults?
 What are the challenges faced by young adults who are dealing with depression?
 What are the different measures that can be adopted for managing depression in young
people?
Rationale for choosing this project
The primary rationale for choosing this project is to enhance my learning about the
impact of depression on the overall physical health of young adults (Beloe and Derakshan,
2020). Apart from this, I also want to build a career in the field of healthcare and hence, this

project would help me in gaining useful insights as well as enhancing my existing knowledge
about depression and how I impacts the overall physical health of young adults.
Literature Review
Depression does not only impact the mood and emotions of a person, but can
significantly affect their overall physical health as well. Depressed mood on most days, loss of
productivity, low energy or fatigue as well as trouble in making decisions are some of the ways
in which depression can impact the overall physical health of young adults (Nicol and et.al.,
2020). The young people can either deal with weight loss or weight gain, both are not good for
the physical health and can affect the same to a great extent. apart from this, young people with
depression may experience chronic pain, develop a heart disease and even trouble during
sleeping. This can further leave them feeling exhausted and thus, making it difficult for them to
manage their mental as well as physical health.
There can be different challenges that young adults have to face while dealing with
depression such as chronic pain, loss of social support, losing their independence as well as the
side-effects of the medication or treatment. Depression can affect the overall physical as well as
mental health of the young people. Young adults with depression constantly worry about them
being dependent on others for care (Paredes and et.al., 2020). They are not able to focus on their
daily life and this affects their productivity to a great extent. Apart from this, another challenge
that they have to deal with can be a lack of motivation and feeling that everything is way too
difficult.
In order to control or manage depression in young people, there are various measures that
can be adopted or significantly implemented to ensure a faster recovery. For instance, the young
people should be encouraged to talk about how they feel with a person they know and trust.
Apart from this, they should also be encouraged to exercise regularly so that they remain fit.
Also, rating healthy is one of the other measures that can be adopted (Depression in young
people, 2020). The healthcare professionals and the family members of the young people who
are dealing with depression should let the patient know that depression is common and is
curable. They should also encourage them to practice something that they enjoy doing such as
painting, gardening etc.

Methodology
Research Approach – Research approach is an important component of the research and
can be referred to as the plans and procedures for conducting the research. Inductive and
deductive are the two types of research approaches that can be used in a research. In context to
this research, the researcher has used deductive research approach because it will allow
completing the study in an effective manner.
Research Design – It can be defined as the overall strategy that is used for completing
the research. There are different types of research design and the researcher can choose the best
one based on the requirement of the study (Sarno, Newcomb and Mustanski, 2020). For instance,
in context to this study, the researcher has used descriptive research design because it will
systematically describe the population as well as situation.
Research Method – There are different research methods that can used for the process of
data collection in the research. The different research methods are classified as either qualitative
or quantitative. Interview, questionnaire, survey etc. are some examples of the research methods
that can be used. For completing this research, the researcher has used a questionnaire as it will
help in collecting first-hand as well as reliable information from the respondents. Also, a
questionnaire is easy to analyze and interpret. This is a quantitative research and hence, the
researcher has used the quantitative research methodology for completing the same as it will
allow him/her to quantify the findings as well as the results.
Choice of Research – A research can either be quantitative or qualitative and the
researcher can select the best one as per the requirements of the study (Anaby and et.al., 2020).
The respective research is a quantitative research as the researcher will be able to present the
findings in the form of tables, graphs and charts. Thus, the readers will develop a better
understanding about the research topic.
Sampling – Sampling can be defined as selecting a pre-determined number of
observations from a large population. It can be said that sampling is an important aspect of a
research that helps a researcher in making useful conclusions about the large population.
Probabilistic and non-probabilistic are the two types of sampling methods that can be used. The
sample size or this report is 50 respondents and simple random sampling has been used.

REFERENCES
Books & Journals
Anaby, D. and et.al., 2020. Improving body functions through participation in community
activities among young people with physical disabilities. Developmental Medicine &
Child Neurology, 62(5), pp.640-646.
Beloe, P. and Derakshan, N., 2020. Adaptive working memory training can reduce anxiety and
depression vulnerability in adolescents. Developmental science, 23(4), p.e12831.
Nicol, A. and et.al., 2020. The relationships between early maladaptive schemas and youth
mental health: a systematic review. Cognitive Therapy and Research, 44(4), pp.715-751.
Paredes, A.Z. and et.al., 2020. The impact of mental illness on postoperative outcomes among
Medicare beneficiaries: a missed opportunity to help surgical patients?. Annals of
Surgery, 272(3), pp.419-425.
Sarno, E.L., Newcomb, M.E. and Mustanski, B., 2020. Rumination longitudinally mediates the
association of minority stress and depression in sexual and gender minority individuals.
Journal of abnormal psychology, 129(4), p.355.
Online
Depression in young people. 2020. [Online]. Available through:<
https://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/health/conditionsandtreatments/Depression-in-
young-people >.