Qualitative Research Methods in Mental Health: Innovative and Collaborative Approaches

Foreword
Contents
Editors and Contributors
1 Introduction: Qualitative Research in Mental Health—Innovation and Collaboration
Introduction
The Tradition of Qualitative Research in Mental Health (QRMH) Conferences
The Transdisciplinary Field of Mental Health
Mental Health as a Global Challenge
Giving Voice—The Inside and Outside
Power Issues and Ethical Considerations
Accumulating Knowledge
Understanding Systems on Different Levels and Feeding Knowledge Back
The Book Structure
References
Part I Illustrating Innovation in Qualitative Mental Health Research
2 Psychiatrists’ Perceptions of Schizophrenia and Its Recovery: A Thematic Analysis
Introduction
The Complexity Involved in Capturing Schizophrenia
Competing Viewpoints on the Recovery of Schizophrenia
The Research Questions
Methodology
Epistemological Orientation
The Research Design
Thematic Analysis
Findings and Discussion
Perceptions of Schizophrenia
Perceptions of Recovery
Implications for Clinical Practice
Limitations of the Study and Recommendations for Future Research
Conclusion
Appendix
Appendix A: Revised Interview Guide
References
3 Approaching Psychotherapy Case Studies in a Metasynthesis: Deficit vs. Conflict in Treatment of Medically Unexplained Symptoms
Introduction
Aggregative vs. Interpretative Approaches in Metasynthesis
Choosing the Research Question: Process vs. Effectiveness
Incorporating Theory-Building into the Research Question: The Concepts of Deficit and Conflict in Psychotherapeutic Treatment of Medically Unexplained Symptoms
Method
The Single Case Archive
Purposive vs Exhaustive Sampling Strategy
Intensity Sampling
Maximum Variation Sampling
Data Analysis: Critical Realism as Epistemological Position
Data Analysis: Case Level as Primary Level of Analysis; Creating Process Themes
Results
Disconfirmatory Findings as Facilitators of Theory-Building: Deficit, Conflict and Trauma
Discussion
Appendix A: List of Selected Studies with Characteristics of Patients
References
4 Walking Interviews: A Novel Way of Ensuring the Voices of Vulnerable Populations Are Included in Research
Introduction
Transitioning from Hospital to the Community
The Walking Interview
Go-Along Interview
Bimbling Interview
Participatory Walking Interview
The Advantages of the Walking Interview
The Research Project
The Walking Interviews in Action
Participant A
Participant B
Participant C
Participant D
Considerations When Completing Walking Interviews
Conclusion
References
5 Using Researcher Reflexivity and Multiple Methods to Study the Experience of Cancer-Related Distress
Introduction
The Experience of Being Positioned Within Dominant Cancer Discourses: An Autoethnographic Exploration
Autoethnography
Theme 1: ‘The Hard Work Involved in the Struggle for Meaning’
Theme 2: ‘Constructions of Death as Unacceptable’
Theme 3: ‘Constructions of Cancer as the Product of Risky Behaviour’
Theme 4: ‘Foregrounding the Biochemical Processes Associated with Cancer’
Mapping the Language of Cancer: An Analysis of Cancer Discourse
Discourse Analysis
Living-with-Dying: A Phenomenological Study of the Experience of Living with Advanced Cancer
Hermeneutic Phenomenology
Theme 1: The Challenge of Having to Engage with Death Awareness as Something That Cannot Be Sidestepped
Theme 2: A Changed Relationship with Time
Integrating the Results from Qualitative Studies of Patients’ Experience of Living with Terminal Cancer: A Metasynthesis
Metasynthesis
Conclusion
References
Part II Applying Qualitative Methods in Collaborative Research Projects
6 Listening for What Is Not Being Said: Using Discourse Analytic Approaches in Mental Health Research
Introduction
Accounting for the Not-Said
Study One: Silencing Aspects of Experience in the Service of Constructing Professional Identity
Analytic Procedure
Results
Discussion
Study Two: Dominant Discourses and the Construction of a Mentally Disordered Identity
Analytic Procedure
Results
Discussion
Study Three: Sanitising Bodily Processes
Analytic Procedure
Results
Discussion
Conclusion: Power, Resistance and Potential for Action
References
7 Re-claiming the Power of Definition—The Value of Reflexivity in Research on Mental Health at Risk
Introduction: Mental Health ‘at Risk’—Challenging Definitions and Methodologies
Being ‘at Risk’ in the Context of Dementia and Psychosis
Making Sense of Risk—Risk Literacy and Meaning-Making in Mental Health
Scientific Knowledge Production and Power Relations in Mental Health
Researching Mental Health ‘at Risk’: Methodology and Method
Sampling Strategy
Data Collection
Interview Procedures
Reflexivity
Analysis
Results and Discussion
Insights from the Interviews: Naming, Explaining, and Coping
Methodological Reflection: Negotiating Vulnerability and Normality
Conclusion: Methodologies in Support of Reclaiming Power
Literature
8 Interpersonal Process Recall in Systemic Research: Investigating Couple Therapists’ Personal and Professional Selves
Introduction
Interpersonal Process Recall (IPR) as a Qualitative Interview Approach
The Role of the Interviewer
Two Positions of the Interviewee: The Talking Subject and the Object of Talk
The Dialogical Approach as Conceptual Framework for Researching Systemic Therapy
Dialogical Approach in Psychotherapy Research
Interpersonal Process Recall as a Storytelling Practice
Using IPR/SRI to Analyse Couple Therapists’ Perspectives on Their Professional Practices
Procedure
Couple Therapy Research 1
The Scene from the Therapy Session: The Physical Arrangements in the Therapy Room
Extract 1: Transcript IPR/SRI with Male Therapist
Couple Therapy Research 2
The Scene from the Therapy Session: Making Comparisons Between Couples
Extract 2: Transcript IPR/SRI with Male Co-therapist
Discussion
Limitations, Methodological Reflections and Conclusions
References
9 Bringing Mental Health Back into the Dynamics of Social Coexistence: Emotional Textual Analysis
Introduction
Emotional Textual Analysis
Theoretical Framework
Operational Procedure
A History of Integration Between Research and Intervention
ETA to Inquire into the Meaning of Psychiatric Diagnosis in School
ETA as an Intervention-Research Tool for the Development of Healthcare Organizations
The Research Context and Design
Two Studies Using ETA to Explore the Culture of Staff and Clients
The Staff Culture
The Clients’ Culture
Conclusions
References
10 Engraved in the Body: Ways of Reading Finnish People’s Memories of Mental Hospitals
Introduction
Saara Jäntti: Organizing the Writing Collection
Multidisciplinary Approach to the Memories: Description of Methodology and Methods
Anu Rissanen: History of Mental Health Care in Finland in the Twentieth Century
The Development of Mental Hospitals in Finland
Treatment in Mental Hospitals
Ways of Reading the Memories
Karoliina Maanmieli (Former Kähmi)—Figurative Language and Memories of Abuse
Figurative Language as a Means of Conveying Traumatic Experiences
Heaven and Hell
The Oppressive Institution: Prison, Concentration Camp or a Rubbish Dump
Animals and Inanimate Things
Kirsi Heimonen: Researching Through Corporeal Attunement
Corporeal Attunement and Embodied Hauntology
Somatic Movement Practice as a Research Method
Affects Within Memories and Movement
Performing Memories
Sari Kuuva: Psychiatric Hospitals as Emotional Communities—Fear, Topophilia and Topophobia in the Memories of the Children of the Staff
Fear, Topophilia and Topophobia
Empathy
Discussion
Conclusion
Appendix 1 Our Call for Memories
References
11 Conclusion: Qualitative Research in Mental Health: Reflections on Research Questions, Methods and Knowledge
Four Types of Research Question
Diversity with a Purpose
What Makes Qualitative Research ‘Research’?
Trends and Challenges
Conclusion and Future Directions
References
Index