Exploring Perceptions of Social and Emotional Health in Socially Isolated Emerging Adults Who Accessed Residential Treatment

ABSTRACT

The current report is part of a larger study on the perceptions of emerging adults who accessed residential treatment during adolescence. Interviews with a subsample of participants who self-identified as socially isolated were analyzed to explore social development and emotional health. The findings of this study include three themes regarding social difficulties: problems trusting other people, general dislike of other people, and problems in social interactions. Concerns with emotional health such as difficulty managing symptoms of depression and anxiety were reported. The ongoing struggles perceived by socially isolated emerging adults contribute to previous research on the enduring symptoms of mental health disorder.

KEYWORDS:

• emerging adults
• emotional well-being
• social isolation

Acknowledgments

We are grateful for the participation of the youth and mental health agency representatives in this research which was made possible with funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada.

Funding

This work was supported by the Social Science and Humanities Research Council [410-2011-0995].

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Social Science and Humanities Research Council [410-2011-0995].