THE EXPERIENCES OF PEOPLE WITH DEPRESSION IN THE WORKPLACE IN UZBEKISTAN

Abstract

Objectives. Much research has been done before on the experiences of people suffering from depression in the employment setting in the past. However, most of that research has been conducted in Western countries and few developed Asian countries. No study exploring this topic has been carried out in Uzbekistan. Therefore, the aim of this study was to explore the experiences of people suffering from depression in the workplace in Uzbekistan. Methods. 4 people with self-diagnosed mild-to-moderate depression were recruited to take part in interviews. Interpretative phenomenological analysis was used to analyze the collected data. Results. 5 superordinate themes (some with subordinate themes) were revealed after the data analysis: Finding an explanation, something to blame; Attitude towards the outside world; Depression and the Job; Depression and the Future; No professional help-seeking. Conclusions. Most of the findings align with the existing literature. It might be an indication that the experiences of depressed people at work do not have much to do with the geographic context.