This post analyzes a qualitative study of coping among poverty-affected adolescents in Kathmandu, written for qualitative researchers and program teams seeking usable insights. The primary keyword is qualitative analysis of adolescent coping in Nepal, and this article summarizes methods, numeric findings, direct quotes, and practical steps for research teams. According to the LSE dataset (Thapa et al., 2025), 30 adolescents aged 11 to 19 were interviewed and provided weekly journal entries, and the authors used thematic and plot analysis to classify coping strategies across home, school, and peer settings. The payoff for readers is concrete: extractable statistics, verbatim quotes, and reproducible analytic questions you can apply to new interview or journal data.
Key Takeaways
According to the LSE Research Online dataset "Coping strategies among poverty-affected adolescents experiencing or at risk of depression and anxiety in Nepal: a qualitative study" (Thapa et al., 2025), 30 adolescents aged 11–19 in Kathmandu were interviewed and supplied 3–5 weekly journal entries after interviews, producing a rich set of coping narratives.
- 30 adolescents were interviewed in informal squatter settlements in Kathmandu, with weekly journal entries collected for 3–5 weeks, according to Thapa et al. (2025) on LSE Research Online.
- The LSE study (Thapa et al., 2025) reports that "Problem solving emerged as the most prevalent coping strategy across all settings, " a direct quote from the authors.
- Thapa et al. (2025) found adolescents aged 14–16 used more maladaptive coping compared with ages 11–13 and 17–19, and gender patterns showed girls leaning toward avoidance and helplessness while boys leaned toward opposition and isolation.
- Thapa et al. (2025) recommend targeted psychological interventions to teach adaptive coping and stress appraisal techniques for poverty-affected adolescents.
What happened and how the study was done
The LSE dataset (Thapa et al., 2025) explored how poverty-affected adolescents in Kathmandu cope with stress across home, school, and peer contexts.
According to Thapa et al. (2025), the study recruited 30 adolescents aged 11–19 living in informal squatter settlements and conducted in-depth narrative interviews followed by weekly journal entries for 3–5 weeks post-interview.
The LSE study (Thapa et al., 2025) used thematic and plot analysis to map coping strategies onto established coping theory categories, and then compared patterns by age group, gender, and setting.
The LSE dataset (Thapa et al., 2025) reports that problem solving was the dominant theme overall, while the authors documented setting-specific patterns: more submission and helplessness at home, more isolation and opposition with peers, and more accommodation and opposition at school.
Findings snapshot
| Date | Metric | Value | Implication |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 Dec 2025 | Dataset made available | LSE Research Online / figshare (Thapa et al., 2025) | Public dataset for replication and secondary analysis |
| 2025 (data collection) | Sample size | 30 adolescents aged 11–19 | Sufficient depth for thematic, not population-level, claims |
| 2025 (post-interview) | Diary length | 3–5 weeks of weekly journal entries per participant | Enables short longitudinal tracing of coping over weeks |
| 2025 (analysis) | Dominant coping strategy | "Problem solving emerged as the most prevalent coping strategy across all settings" (Thapa et al., 2025) | Suggests interventions can leverage problem-solving skills |
Implications for qualitative researchers and program teams
For qualitative researchers: the LSE study (Thapa et al., 2025) shows that combining interviews with short diary methods yields richer temporal data on coping than interviews alone.
For program designers: Thapa et al. (2025) recommend interventions that explicitly teach adaptive coping and stress appraisal techniques, suggesting curricula should target ages 14–16 where maladaptive patterns were most pronounced.
For monitoring and evaluation teams: the LSE study (Thapa et al., 2025) highlights setting-specific behaviors, meaning outcome measures should disaggregate home, school, and peer contexts rather than use a single global coping score.
How Evidano helps with studies like the LSE qualitative analysis
Problem: interviews and journals are time consuming to synthesize
Evidano is an AI-powered qualitative data analysis platform that helps researchers analyze interviews, open-ended surveys, and documents.
Evidano speeds synthesis by ingesting transcripts and journal entries, generating thematic and frequency summaries that map directly to coping theory categories used in Thapa et al. (2025).
Evidano can transcribe audio with a customizable dictionary and PII redaction, supporting reproducible pipelines for interview data; see the Evidano feature list at Evidano features.
Problem: comparing patterns by age, gender, and setting is manual work
Evidano automates cross-segment analysis so you can compare age cohorts (11–13, 14–16, 17–19) and gender groups as Thapa et al. (2025) did.
Evidano produces visualizations and co-occurrence networks that make setting-specific patterns (home, school, peers) easier to present to stakeholders.
Problem: journals and short longitudinal logs are hard to track
Evidano ingests repeated journal entries and supports temporal queries so you can track if a coping strategy emerges or fades over 3–5 weeks, mirroring the LSE study design.
Evidano accepts audio or written diaries and includes transcription tools such as Evidano speech-to-text to process audio logs quickly.
FAQ: qualitative analysis of adolescent coping in Nepal
What age range did the LSE study cover and why does it matter?
Answer: The study covered adolescents aged 11–19, and age differences matter because Thapa et al. (2025) found the 14–16 group used more maladaptive coping.
According to Thapa et al. (2025), comparing 11–13, 14–16, and 17–19 helps identify developmental windows for targeted interventions.
Which coping strategies were most and least common in the study?
Answer: Problem solving was the most common strategy overall, while submission, helplessness, isolation, opposition, and avoidance appeared in setting- and gender-specific patterns.
The LSE study (Thapa et al., 2025) states explicitly, "Problem solving emerged as the most prevalent coping strategy across all settings, " and documents girls leaning to avoidance and helplessness and boys to opposition and isolation.
Can the methods in Thapa et al. (2025) be replicated in other settings?
Answer: Yes, the LSE dataset and method (in-depth narrative interviews plus 3–5 weeks of journals) can be replicated with careful sampling and contextual adaptation.
Thapa et al. (2025) provide a transparent methodology suitable for replication and for secondary analysis of the figshare dataset linked from LSE Research Online.
Conclusion & Next Steps
The LSE study (Thapa et al., 2025) of 30 adolescents in Kathmandu provides concrete qualitative evidence that problem solving is a dominant coping theme and that age and gender shape adaptive and maladaptive patterns.
Researchers and program teams can adapt the study design (interviews plus 3–5 weeks of journals) to detect short-term shifts in coping and to prioritize ages 14–16 for targeted support, according to Thapa et al. (2025).
To speed synthesis, reproduce cross-segment tables, and produce stakeholder-ready visuals from interview and journal data, try the Evidano platform and learn more on Evidano features.
Ready to run your own thematic analysis? Try Evidano for free
Topics
- qualitative analysis of adolescent coping in Nepal
- adolescent coping strategies Nepal
- qualitative research adolescent mental health
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