Perceptions of Change in Depression Among Participants in a Program Based on Permission Theory

Background: Depression is a major public health concern and remains a challenge despite traditional care approaches. This study sought to answer the following research question: how do participants in a program based on Permission Theory describe their perceptions of change related to the depressive experience? Methods: This exploratory and descriptive study employed a quantitative and qualitative approach, grounded in Bardin's Content Analysis to analyze 23 spontaneous accounts from participants who reported experiences related to depression. Data were collected through self-reports voluntarily submitted by program participants through a routine administrative electronic form, characterizing a convenience sample. After thematic screening and manual verification of eligibility criteria, 23 accounts mentioning experiences related to depression were included in the analysis corpus. The participants evaluated their lives before and during the program. Results: The quantitative analysis showed an increase in self-reported scores of overall life evaluation during the program. Consistently, the qualitative accounts indicated that participants subjectively perceived changes in emotional, relational, and functional aspects of their everyday lives, including perceived changes in their depressive experience. Conclusions: These findings emphasize how participants interpret and describe changes in their emotional, relational, and functional lives, aspects that are often less visible in conventional mental health outcome research. These perceptions do not allow for inference of clinical effects or a causal relationship with program participation, reinforcing the need for controlled studies to investigate potential impacts on mental health outcomes.