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Qualitative Research into Mental Health: Reflections on Epistemology

Stephen Joseph (School of Sociology and Social Policy, University of Nottingham, UK)
Charlotte Beer (School of Community Health Sciences, University of Nottingham, UK)
David Clarke (School of Psychology, University of Nottingham, UK)
Allan Forman (Mansfield, Nottinghamshire, UK)
Martyn Pickersgill (Institute for Science and Society, University of Nottingham, UK)
Judy Swift (School of Biosciences, University of Nottingham, UK)
John Taylor (School of Community Health Sciences, University of Nottingham, UK)
Victoria Tischler (School of Community Health Sciences, University of Nottingham, UK)

Mental Health Review Journal

ISSN: 1361-9322

Article publication date: 15 May 2009

723

Abstract

In 2005, the Qualitative Methods in Psychosocial Health Research Group (QMiPHR) at the University of Nottingham was established as a forum to bring together academics, researchers and practitioners with an interest in qualitative methods. The group has provided colleagues in nutrition, psychiatry, psychology, social work and sociology with a forum for discussion around the question of how qualitative research is able to contribute to understanding mental health and the development of evidence‐based treatment. As a group, we asked ourselves where we stood in relation to the use of qualitative methods in mental health. While we are unified in our view that qualitative research is important and under‐utilised in mental health research, our discussions uncovered a range of views on the underlying philosophical stance of what it means to be a qualitative researcher in mental health. The aim of this paper is to provide an overview of our discussions and our view that as qualitative approaches have become more widely accepted they have largely been assimilated within the mainstream ‘medical model’ of research. In this paper, we call for researchers to re‐engage with the philosophical discussion on the role and purpose of qualitative enquiry as it applies to mental health, and for practitioners and decision‐makers to be aware of the implicit values underpinning research.

Keywords

Citation

Joseph, S., Beer, C., Clarke, D., Forman, A., Pickersgill, M., Swift, J., Taylor, J. and Tischler, V. (2009), "Qualitative Research into Mental Health: Reflections on Epistemology", Mental Health Review Journal, Vol. 14 No. 1, pp. 36-42. https://doi.org/10.1108/13619322200900006

Publisher

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Emerald Group Publishing Limited

Copyright © 2009, Emerald Group Publishing Limited

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