Depressed classmates appear to be better helpers than young people who are not depressed

Depressed classmates appear to be better helpers than young people who are not depressed. Furthermore, a depressed pupil who helps another pupil often starts to feel a bit more cheerful. These are findings from the doctoral research of Loes van Rijsewijk (University of Groningen). Van Rijsewijk did her research with a Research Talent grant from NWO and made use of the SNARE data collection funded by NWO.

When young people start at secondary school, they are faced with many social, biological and cognitive changes. Sociologist Loes van Rijsewijk (University of Groningen) asked ~1000 young people from about 50 classes who helps them with their homework, to repair a bike tire puncture, or when they feel a bit despondent at times.

Van Rijsewijk’s research revealed that many young people help each other. Interestingly, both givers and receivers were more popular in the class. Van Rijsewijk: “So not only young people who give help but also those who receive it are socially accepted. That goes against prevailing theories.”

In addition, depressed young people were better helpers than young people who were not depressed. Van Rijsewijk: “If depressed pupils help others then the helping relationship is more sustainable and maintained for a longer period of time. This is possibly because depressed young people are better at empathising with the problems of others and can, therefore, provide better help.”

According to Van Rijsewijk, providing help also reduces the pupil’s symptoms of depression. “Perhaps depressed pupils who provide help learn from their own advice. Or perhaps they feel buoyed up if they discover that their classmates can also feel down.”

Young people are selective when it comes to whom they ask to help them or whom they give help to. Most young people have two or three like-minded helpers. Girls, for example, more frequently asked for help from other girls and equally depressed young people seek help from fellow sufferers.

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