scholarly journals Does Quantitative Research in Child Maltreatment Tell the Whole Story? The Need for Mixed-Methods Approaches to Explore the Effects of Maltreatment in Infancy

2016 ◽  
Vol 2016 ◽  
pp. 1-8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Samuel Glass ◽  
Ruchika Gajwani ◽  
Fiona Turner-Halliday

Background and Aims.Research on child maltreatment has largely overlooked the under-five age group and focuses primarily on quantitative measurement. This mixed-methods study of maltreated children (N=92) entering care (age 6–60 months) combines a quantitative focus on the associations between care journey characteristics and mental health outcomes with a qualitative exploration of maltreatment in four different families.Methods.Care journey data was obtained from social care records; mental health and attachment assessments were carried out following entry to care; qualitative data comprised semistructured interviews with professionals, foster carers, and parents.Results.Significant associations were found between suspected sexual abuse and increased DAI inhibited attachment symptoms (p=0.001) and between reported domestic violence and decreased DAI inhibited (p=0.016) and disinhibited (p=0.004) attachment symptoms. Qualitative results: two themes demonstrate the complexity of assessing maltreatment: (1) overlapping maltreatment factors occur in most cases and (2) maltreatment effects may be particularly challenging to isolate. Conclusions.Qualitative exploration has underscored the complexity of assessing maltreatment, indicating why expected associations were not found in this study and posing questions for the quantitative measurement of maltreatment in general. We therefore suggest a new categorisation of maltreatment and call for the complimentary research lenses of further mixed-methods approaches.

10.2196/18123 ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (8) ◽  
pp. e18123
Author(s):  
Danny T Y Wu ◽  
Chen Xin ◽  
Shwetha Bindhu ◽  
Catherine Xu ◽  
Jyoti Sachdeva ◽  
...  

Background Patient-generated health data (PGHD) have been largely collected through mobile health (mHealth) apps and wearable devices. PGHD can be especially helpful in mental health, as patients’ illness history and symptom narratives are vital to developing diagnoses and treatment plans. However, the extent to which clinicians use mental health–related PGHD is unknown. Objective A mixed methods study was conducted to understand clinicians’ perspectives on PGHD and current mental health apps. This approach uses information gathered from semistructured interviews, workflow analysis, and user-written mental health app reviews to answer the following research questions: (1) What is the current workflow of mental health practice and how are PGHD integrated into this workflow, (2) what are clinicians’ perspectives on PGHD and how do they choose mobile apps for their patients, (3) and what are the features of current mobile apps in terms of interpreting and sharing PGHD? Methods The study consists of semistructured interviews with 12 psychiatrists and clinical psychologists from a large academic hospital. These interviews were thematically and qualitatively analyzed for common themes and workflow elements. User-posted reviews of 56 sleep and mood tracking apps were analyzed to understand app features in comparison with the information gathered from interviews. Results The results showed that PGHD have been part of the workflow, but its integration and use are not optimized. Mental health clinicians supported the use of PGHD but had concerns regarding data reliability and accuracy. They also identified challenges in selecting suitable apps for their patients. From the app review, it was discovered that mHealth apps had limited features to support personalization and collaborative care as well as data interpretation and sharing. Conclusions This study investigates clinicians’ perspectives on PGHD use and explored existing app features using the app review data in the mental health setting. A total of 3 design guidelines were generated: (1) improve data interpretation and sharing mechanisms, (2) consider clinical workflow and electronic health record integration, and (3) support personalized and collaborative care. More research is needed to demonstrate the best practices of PGHD use and to evaluate their effectiveness in improving patient outcomes.


2021 ◽  
Vol 50 (Supplement_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Faith Agbozo ◽  
Noella Dufie Amobaa ◽  
Silvia Runge-Ranzinger ◽  
Pauline Grys

Abstract Background Despite their vulnerability, mental health of adolescents has received little attention in developing countries. We investigated the mental health difficulties faced by adolescents, their coping strategies and school-based support systems. Methods Design was a convergent mixed-methods study. Quantitative data was collected using the validated strengths and difficulties questionnaire to assess the mental health of 405 adolescents in four senior high schools (SHS) in the Techiman Municipality, Ghana. Qualitative data was collected through in-depth interview with 18 teachers and seven focused group discussions among 35 students. Adjusted odds ratio (OR) for mental health difficulties were estimated through ordinal logistic regression in Stata 14.2. Qualitative data were analysed by thematic content analysis using ATLAS.ti 7.1. Results Over half (58.5%) experienced abnormalities related to peer (20.5%), emotional (16.3%), conduct (13.3%) and hyperactivity (3.0%) problems and prosocial behaviours (5.4%). Significant determinants were being female (OR = 2.27, 95% confidence interval [CI]:1.47-3.50), bullied (OR = 1.72, CI:1.07-2.75), domestic violence (OR = 1.87, CI:1.10-3.17), substance abuse (OR = 8.14, CI: 1.41-46.8), academic pressure (OR = 2.40, CI:1.30-4.42), and perceived poor performance (OR = 7.36 CI:2.83-19.16). Mental health difficulties were attributed to financial challenges, spiritual influences, intimate relationships, bullying, and domestic violence. Coping strategies included isolation, substance abuse and spiritual help. Guidance and counselling unit, the main support system, was ineffective due to issues with trust, confidentially, and qualified counsellors. Conclusions As mental health difficulties were prevalent, school-based support systems, particularly guidance and counselling needs strengthening, including being manded by trained personnel. It is time to incorporate mental health education into school curricula. Key messages Mental disorders among adolescents are common. While guardians and religious bodies are critical, many of the triggers occur in school necessitating mental health-friendly school environments.


PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (4) ◽  
pp. e0250424
Author(s):  
Noella Dufie Addy ◽  
Faith Agbozo ◽  
Silvia Runge-Ranzinger ◽  
Pauline Grys

Background Although adolescents are highly vulnerable to mental health challenges, they receive little attention, especially in developing countries. We investigated the mental health difficulties (MHDs) faced by adolescent students in four senior high schools in Ghana, their coping strategies and support systems. Methods In this convergent mixed-methods study, quantitative data was obtained using validated strengths and difficulties questionnaire to assess the mental health of 405 adolescents. Qualitative data was collected through in-depth interview with 18 teachers and seven focused group discussions with 35 students. Adjusted odds ratios (OR) for MHDs were estimated through ordinal logistic regression in Stata 14.2. Qualitative data was analyzed inductively and deductively using ATLAS.ti 7.1. Results Over half (58.5%) experienced peer (20.5%), emotional (16.3%), conduct (13.3%) and hyperactivity (3.0%) problems, whereas 5.4% exhibited prosocial behaviours. MHDs were associated with females (OR = 2.27, 95% CI: 1.47–3.50), bullying (OR = 1.72, CI: 1.07–2.75), domestic violence (OR = 1.87, CI: 1.10–3.17), substance abuse (OR = 8.14, CI: 1.41–46.8), academic pressure (OR = 2.40, CI: 1.30–4.42) and self-perceived poor school performance (OR = 7.36 CI: 2.83–19.16). Qualitatively, we identified financial challenges, spiritual influences, intimate relationships, bullying, and domestic violence as the main themes attributed to MHDs. Coping strategies included isolation, substance use and spiritual help. The main school-based support system was the guidance and counselling unit, but there were complaints of it been ineffective due to trust and confidentially issues, and non-engagement of qualified counsellors. Conclusions As many triggers of MHDs emanate in schools, we need mental health-friendly school environments where trained psychotherapists head counselling centres. We propose incorporating mental health education into school curricula and generating surveillance data on adolescent’s mental health.


2018 ◽  
Vol 54 (6) ◽  
pp. 715-723 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael Coffey ◽  
Ben Hannigan ◽  
Alan Meudell ◽  
Mari Jones ◽  
Julian Hunt ◽  
...  

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Danny T Y Wu ◽  
Chen Xin ◽  
Shwetha Bindhu ◽  
Catherine Xu ◽  
Jyoti Sachdeva ◽  
...  

BACKGROUND Patient-generated health data (PGHD) have been largely collected through mobile health (mHealth) apps and wearable devices. PGHD can be especially helpful in mental health, as patients’ illness history and symptom narratives are vital to developing diagnoses and treatment plans. However, the extent to which clinicians use mental health–related PGHD is unknown. OBJECTIVE A mixed methods study was conducted to understand clinicians’ perspectives on PGHD and current mental health apps. This approach uses information gathered from semistructured interviews, workflow analysis, and user-written mental health app reviews to answer the following research questions: (1) What is the current workflow of mental health practice and how are PGHD integrated into this workflow, (2) what are clinicians’ perspectives on PGHD and how do they choose mobile apps for their patients, (3) and what are the features of current mobile apps in terms of interpreting and sharing PGHD? METHODS The study consists of semistructured interviews with 12 psychiatrists and clinical psychologists from a large academic hospital. These interviews were thematically and qualitatively analyzed for common themes and workflow elements. User-posted reviews of 56 sleep and mood tracking apps were analyzed to understand app features in comparison with the information gathered from interviews. RESULTS The results showed that PGHD have been part of the workflow, but its integration and use are not optimized. Mental health clinicians supported the use of PGHD but had concerns regarding data reliability and accuracy. They also identified challenges in selecting suitable apps for their patients. From the app review, it was discovered that mHealth apps had limited features to support personalization and collaborative care as well as data interpretation and sharing. CONCLUSIONS This study investigates clinicians’ perspectives on PGHD use and explored existing app features using the app review data in the mental health setting. A total of 3 design guidelines were generated: (1) improve data interpretation and sharing mechanisms, (2) consider clinical workflow and electronic health record integration, and (3) support personalized and collaborative care. More research is needed to demonstrate the best practices of PGHD use and to evaluate their effectiveness in improving patient outcomes.


2018 ◽  
Vol 68 (suppl 1) ◽  
pp. bjgp18X697349
Author(s):  
Anna Lalonde ◽  
Emma Teasdale ◽  
Ingrid Muller ◽  
Joanne Chalmers ◽  
Peter Smart ◽  
...  

BackgroundCellulitis is a common painful infection of the skin and underlying tissues that recurs in approximately a third of cases. Patients’ ability to recover from cellulitis or prevent recurrence is likely to be influenced by their understanding of the condition.AimTo explore patients’ perceptions of cellulitis and their information needs.MethodMixed methods study comprising semi-structured, face-to-face interviews and cross-sectional survey, recruiting through primary care, secondary care and advertising. Adults aged 18 or over with a history of cellulitis (first or recurrent) were invited to complete a survey, take part in an interview or both. Qualitative data was analysed thematically.ResultsThirty interviews were conducted between August 2016 and July 2017. Qualitative data revealed low prior awareness of cellulitis, uncertainty around diagnosis, concern/surprise at the severity of cellulitis, and perceived insufficient information provision. People were surprised they had never heard of the condition and that they had not received advice or leaflets giving self-care information. Some sought information from the internet and found this bewildering. Two hundred and forty surveys were completed (response rate 17%). These showed that, while most people received information on the treatment of cellulitis (60.0%, n = 144), they reported receiving no information about causes (60.8%, n = 146) or prevention of recurrence (73.3%, n = 176).ConclusionThere is a need for provision of basic information for people with cellulitis, particularly being informed of the name of their condition, how to manage acute episodes, and how to reduce risk of recurrence.


Author(s):  
Kriss Lange ◽  
Joshua Matthews

Abstract Japanese EFL learners’ difficulty with accurately decoding connected English speech motivated this mixed methods study. The aural decoding capacities of 63 first-year Japanese university students, with low to intermediate level English proficiency, were first measured with a battery of paused transcription tests (PTT). The transcriptions were clusters of three-words that each possessed attributes typical of co-articulated speech. In addition, after each test, a subgroup of 10 participants individually listened to the same PTT and recounted introspective self-observations of their perceived difficulties with the aural decoding tasks in their L1. These quantitative and qualitative data were used to identify four trends in decoding errors which were categorized as follows: limited collocation familiarity, syntactic knowledge constraints, difficulties utilizing co-text, and L1 phonological influence. This study investigates some of the difficulties associated with aural decoding, highlights the challenges of identifying the origins of decoding errors and suggests that more focus is needed on developing decoding skills as well as knowledge of formulaic language in L2 listening education.


2020 ◽  
Vol 25 (2) ◽  
pp. 110-116
Author(s):  
Mallika Punukollu ◽  
Emma L. Leighton ◽  
Anna F. Brooks ◽  
Saoirse Heron ◽  
Fiona Mitchell ◽  
...  

Author(s):  
Zoe Guerrero ◽  
Akmal-Alikhan Aliev ◽  
Lucie Kondrátová ◽  
Bibiána Jozefiaková ◽  
Natálie Nesázalová ◽  
...  

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Chandler Puhy ◽  
Nalini Prakash ◽  
Clarissa Lacson ◽  
Joke Bradt

Purpose Increased student diversity in universities across the USA has increased the need for post-secondary educators to develop multicultural teaching competence (MTC). Most studies of MTC focus on educators teaching grades K-12. The purpose of this study is to determine how faculty members rate themselves in terms of MTC, what multicultural knowledge and skills faculty report and how they integrate these skills into their teaching practice and what barriers exist to developing and implementing MTC. The purpose of this study was to examine the factors that impact undergraduate faculty integration of multicultural awareness and attitudes into their teaching practices to enhance student learning. Design/methodology/approach A convergent mixed methods study used survey and interview data from undergraduate faculty. Select items from the MTC Inventory (MTCI) and social justice scales (SJS) were administered. Interviews (N = 7) were transcribed and analyzed using thematic analysis. Quantitative and qualitative data were compared to examine convergence and divergence. Findings Quantitative results revealed undergraduate faculty’s awareness, knowledge and skills as indicated by percent agreement with items from the MTCI and SJS instruments. Qualitative findings included the following four themes: knowledge building, addressing diversity in the classroom, barriers and challenges, and needs and recommendations. Qualitative data corroborated or explained many of the quantitative results and provided insight into these trends and barriers that impact MTC. Originality/value This is the first study of its kind, to our knowledge, that has used a mixed methods research design to examine factors that impact MTCs and associated barriers among a sample of undergraduate faculty across disciplines in one urban university.


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