Date of Award
Spring 5-2026
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy
Department
Communication
First Advisor
Michelle Miller-Day, Ph.D.
Second Advisor
Rebecca Tukachinsky Forster, Ph.D.
Third Advisor
Vikki Katz, Ph.D.
Fourth Advisor
Leah Aldridge, Ph.D.
Abstract
This dissertation explored the lived experiences of young women with depression and utilized a participatory arts-based research (ABR) approach to collaboratively translate these insights into a short, narrative film. The study evolved over three intertwined phases. Phase One involved semi-structured qualitative interviews with young women with lived experiences of depression, ages 18-25, exploring their lived experiences of depression, perceptions of current popular film and television portrayals, and identifications of stereotypes and notable gaps in the popular entertainment landscape. Phase Two then translated those insights into a collaboratively developed narrative short film, while simultaneously exploring how participation in the creative process shaped participants’ understanding of their own experiences. Phase Three comprised a virtual screening of the film, Birthday Girl, with a facilitated discussion with audience members with lived experiences of depression, providing a further avenue of engagement and meaning making with the completed film. Findings suggest that participatory ABR can create meaningful representation grounded in lived experience, validation and recognition for participants, and demonstrates how nuanced representations of depression told through a visual, emotional lens can make people feel seen and recognized. This work represents one step toward evolving and meaningful portrayals of depression, which actively involve those whose stories are being told.
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.
Recommended Citation
Dupuy, M. (2026). Depression on screen: Rewriting depression through arts-based methods [Doctoral dissertation, Chapman University]. Chapman University Digital Commons. https://doi.org/10.36837/chapman.000726