The relationship between separation individuation and depression in first grade students of university
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Objective: The purpose of this study was to find out the relationship between separation individuation and depression in university students. Methods: The sample consisted of 1026 first grade students of Celal Bayar University consisted the sample of this research a Sociodemographic Form, The Separation Individuation Test of Adolescence (SITA) and Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) were used in this study. Statistical significance of the relationship between SITA subscale scores and BDI scores was assessed by Pearson correlation test and between SITA subscale scores and depression according to the cut-off values of BDI was assessed by using Student's Nest. Results: 20.6% of the students had depression according to the cut-off values of BDI. The mean score of the BDI was 10.98 +/- 9.02. There was a statistically significant negative correlation between the scores of SITA subscales 'peer enmeshment, 'practicing-mirroring' and 'healthy separation' which indicates positive separation individuation process and BDI scores when there was a statistically significant positive correlation between the scores of SITA subscales which indicates difficulties with separation individuation issues 'separation anxiety', 'engulfment anxiety, 'dependency denial' and 'rejection expectancy' and BDI scores. The scores of 'separation anxiety, 'engulfment anxiety, 'dependency denial' and 'rejection expectancy' subscales of SITA were significantly higher in the students with depression according to the cut-off values of BDI when healthy separation subscale scores were significantly higher in the students with depression according to the cut-off values of BDI. Conclusion: In this study, it has seen that there was a relationship between depression and separation-individuation process in adolescence. Difficulties with separation individuation issues in adolescence, in other words failure in achieve developmental tasks during adolescence could cause depression. (Anatolian Journal of Psychiatry 2009; 10:174480)