Resist or Adapt? A Narrative Analysis of Endeavors for Belonging Among Young Adults with Co-Occurring Substance Use and Mental Health Problems

Abstract

The article explores how young adults with co-occurring substance use and mental health problems experience and describe their own and others’ contributions to their sense of community belonging. This article is part of a larger qualitative interview study of young adults. The data for this report were the individual interviews with two study participants. These participants were chosen because they offered in-depth understandings relating to various aspects of community belonging. A thematic narrative analysis of the interview data was carried out. Central to this model of analysis is to transform unstructured qualitative interview data into a unified narrative for each participant, structured around a thematic plot. The analysis revealed two plots: ‘Having to go against yourself to be an insider', and ‘You have to realize that you have problems and try to do something about them'. We interpreted the first narrative as an expression of marginalized people feeling they deserve recognition from society, while the second narrative reflected the idea that each person has a personal responsibility for being valued. We conclude that the narratives expressed the importance of helping young adults to place their lived experiences in a larger social context.