53 | P a g e According to Haradhan (2018), qualitative research is social and thus ethnographic research. This means that it is not only based mostly on interviewing and observing individuals and/or focus groups, but that it is also designed to meet certain heuristic demands. Seale (2015) mentions that this type of research enables the collection of empirical data, which in turn allows the collection of emic perspectives when participants narrate their stories that are topic-based according to their understanding. Zikic (2007) asserts that the qualitative research method can be reliably and validly used to evaluate and document society's changes on a micro and even macro level. However, the former studies are generally small in scope and provide access to non-generalized data that are mainly factually relevant to a particular case.
Through the strength of qualitative research, I was able to elicit deep understanding of depression as it was both experienced and understood by UKZN-PMB students. The narratives revealed factors that were socially constructed and attached to depression in this particular student society.
Chapter Five and Chapter Six will outline the knowledge that was attained as they present excerpts of the participants’ narratives and the evaluation of the data that emerged.
54 | P a g e An important inclusion criterion was that the participants had to suffer from, or had experienced, depression. In Chapter Two I referred to Birhanu and Hassein (2016:28) who assert that the high rate of depression among university students is caused by factors such as a challenging academic life, alcohol use, drug addiction, family problems, family history of depression, and having to live away from home. Both undergraduate and post-graduate students experience depression because expectations of them to excel keep on mounting on a daily basis. The literature review revealed that previous studies had used large samples to collect data on a similar topic. Seale (2015) for instance states that “...the use of a large representative sample is quite feasible if a researcher is doing a secondary analysis of existing data”. However, in a study such as the current one that elicits data from a small population, it is not hard to analyse and interpret data from a small sample if narratives are used, and for this reason this study targeted a sample of only 25 students.
In selecting the sample, the students’ home language and race did not exclude students from participating in the study. However, sampling occurred in student on-campus residences where primarily black African students reside. Students of race groups such as Indians and whites tend to reside in off-campus accommodation. The sampled population was between 18-35 years old.
They were no longer minors and their participation thus did not rely on their parents’ or guardians’
consent. The sampled students were bonafide UKZN students of the Pietermaritzburg campus during the period of data collection, which was 2020 and 2021.
4.4.1 Non-probability/purposive sampling
Non-probability purposive sampling was used to select 25 students who had experienced or who were still experiencing depression. Both convenience and snowball sampling were used to recruit these participants. Seale (2014) states that purposive sampling is based on the researcher's judgment regarding the characteristics of the sample. Mark (2015) asserts that purposive sampling relies on the subjective consideration of the researcher. Non-probability sampling is a method in which all the persons, events, or objects have an unknown and usually unique probability of being included in the sample (Zondi, 2018). I thus used convenience sampling to choose the participants.
The literature that argues that most students experience some form of depression at some stage.
Snowball sampling was also used as I relied on the first recruited participant to help me connect
55 | P a g e with other potential participants. They had to be willing to share their experiences concerning the topic under investigation, as already mentioned above. The use of these techniques was based on the understanding that students with depression might have established support networks for debriefing and to find comfort. This is proposed by Motau (2015) in the literature. Through snowball sampling, students were able to refer other potential participants whom I contacted and recruited after I had established that they experienced or had experienced depression or at least some symptoms of depression.
As discussed in chapter one that students are particularly vulnerable to mental health problems because they face various stressors such as academic problems, personal relationships, uncertainty about their career choice, the fear of unemployment, and disruptive romantic relationships. The calibre of sampled students was determined by the use of social constructs which expressed meanings and interpretation of being depressed. These social constructs are part of the data analysis chapter and they remain what this qualitative anthropological study intends to contribute in the existing body of literature.
4.4.2 Inclusion and exclusion criteria
No participant was excluded on the basis of age, race, or gender. Participants were included if they were bonafide UKZN students studying at one of the PMB campuses and had experienced or were experiencing depression symptoms. Their inclusion was also determined by them signing a voluntary consent which was a critical ethical consideration that this study observed. The exclusion criterion delimitated the study (see Chapter One) as data were elicited only from the UKZN-PMB population and not from students of other campuses. Knudson et al. (2008) state that qualitative research often does not allow researchers to generalize their research findings as experiences of a larger population. The findings of this study may thus not be generalized to the other UKZN campuses, namely Westville, the Medical School, Edgewood, and Howard College. As the UKZN- PMB campus was accessible to me, it was the preferred study site.
It needs to be mentioned that students were recruited until data saturation had been reached. The proposed sampled group covered all students who presented with depression symptoms, or who
56 | P a g e felt that they were experiencing or had experienced depression. This decision was taken as depression is known to affect many students at university. I thus kept recruitment open to all students from all the PMB campuses who complied with the inclusion criteria because the study explored contributing factors, social construction, and conceptualization of depression on campus.
It was therefore important to elicit the views of diverse university students to gain a holistic understanding of depression in order to contribute to this field in anthropological research.
As the total population of students experiencing depression was unknown because no data could be traced reliably, I recruited the first few students purposively as they were familiar to me and had admitted that they experienced depression. The rest were recruited with the help of those first recruits who experienced/had experienced depression and who flagged others who also suffered or had suffered from this affliction. By using the WhatsApp social platform, students who had been informed of others by the imminent study contacted me and, after a short discussion and verbal verification of their depression status, or perceived status, they were invited to participate in the study. The recruitment or the sample of 25 research participants was thus achieved through the purposive and then the snowballing sampling techniques.
4.4.3 Relevance of the sampling technique
The nature of the study was phenomenological/narrative/explanatory, hence I made use of the non- probability sampling technique because it allowed me to interview UKZN-PMB students about their knowledge and experiences of and insights into depression. I had limited time to conduct the research due to COVID-19 restrictions and the interview technique is known to be time-efficient and less costly. Moreover, the topic under study needed in-depth analysis which this sampling method allowed.
It is imperative to admit that no data or evidence was sought to clinically confirm depression status of the participants. Moreover, no effort was made from my side to confirm that the participants were actually depressive. I engaged in in-depth discussions with them and the data that were elicited that were not indicative of depression as reflected in the literature were simply discarded.
57 | P a g e Moreover, as 25 students were interviewed I was satisfied that data saturation had been reached and that sufficient in-depth data had been obtained to address the research questions and objectives and, ultimately, to achieve the aim of the study.
4.5 Data Collection and Analysis