The Interaction Between Mental Health & Positionality in Literature

In this research project, I analyzed and visualized the interaction between positionality and mental health portrayal in literature utilizing data science techniques coding with R. Specifically, I looked at about 40 YA fiction novels dealing with mental health issues and comparing those with black characters/authors to those with white characters/authors, as well as looking at differences in gender and the impacts of intersectionality. I used data science and textual analysis techniques to find statistical differences between the novels based on positionality and to make meaning from the data gathered, interpreting the implications of my findings on representation of positionalities in mental health literature. For example, I found a correlation between female positionality and the lack of a parental figure -- fathers absent from the black female novels and mothers absent from the white female novels. I am continuing this research throughout the year, continuing to discover other significant interactions between positionality and mental health portrayal in literature.