Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) and the Ethics of Body and Place: Critical Methodological Reflections

This article is a critical methodological reflection on the use of interpretive phenomenological analysis (IPA) initiated in the context of a qualitative research project on the experience of seclusion in a psychiatric setting. It addresses an explicit gap in the IPA literature to explore the ways that Merleau-Ponty’s phenomenology can extend the remit of IPA for noncognitivist qualitative research projects beyond the field of health psychology. In particular, the article develops Merleau-Ponty’s understanding of the lived-body, language, and embodied speech, with specific attention to the ethical implications of body and place. It concludes with a discussion on phenomenological reflexivity and prompts a reconsideration of phenomenological methods across a wide range of qualitative research projects concerned with subjectivity and ethical practice, including critical health studies, critical bioethics, and cultural studies that employ a qualitative empirical research design.     

Longitudinal qualitative research and interpretative phenomenological analysis: philosophical connections and practical considerations

Qualitative longitudinal research designs are commonly considered a sensible orientation to exploring concepts of time and change. However, as a stand-alone method, qualitative longitudinal research has been criticized for its lack of philosophical and theoretical foundation (Hermanowicz 2013). This article explores the key tenets of qualitative longitudinal research and aligns with the notion that qualitative longitudinal designs be fused with other qualitative methods of data collection and analysis to enhance experimental trustworthiness (Calman, Brunton & Molassiotis 2013). Specifically, this article posits that a longitudinal design aligns well with the epistemological and ontological foundations of the interpretive phenomenological analysis (IPA) method to highlight longitudinal IPA as an emerging and distinctive qualitative methodology (Smith, Flowers & Larkin 2009). Practical considerations for conducting longitudinal IPA are also provided.     

Stories of family caregivers of people with dementia in Greece: Implications for counselling

A substantial body of literature has identified high rates of burden, psychological morbidity, social isolation, health and financial difficulties among dementia caregivers. The present qualitative study adopted an Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis approach in order to explore the lived experiences of dementia family caregivers within the Greek sociocultural context. The sample was purposive and consisted of 10 women dementia family caregivers from Athens and Thessaloniki. Individual in-depth interviews were conducted and analysed according to IPA. The participants’ personal accounts included themes related to ethical/existential and cultural aspects of family caregiving; changes in family relationships; impact of the caregiving experiences; sources of support and help seeking; positive and meaningful aspects of the care experience. The research findings are discussed in the context of Gilligan’s moral psychological theory, and cultural dimensions of family caregivers. Implications for counselling interventions aiming at supporting caregivers are presented.     

Venturing into the visual voice: combining photos and interviews in phenomenological inquiry around marginalisation and chronic illness

In this article, we present a reflection on the research process of combining photographs with phenomenologically oriented interviews. Two studies in the field of chronic illness with marginalised individuals (lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans* people living with MS; men diagnosed with breast cancer) are employed to illustrate a range of conceptual, methodological and pragmatic issues. Both studies draw upon an integrative theoretical framework within a critical health psychology epistemological paradigm informed by phenomenological psychology and visual methodologies. The data collected for both studies have been analysed through interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA). We offer some thoughts regarding certain challenges and opportunities of synergising verbal and visual data and illustrate our arguments through a series of examples from the two studies, which are critically discussed. We argue that qualitative research in psychology benefits from an enhanced multimethodological approach employing existential phenomenological psychology and visual methodologies, especially when exploring chronic illness in marginalised communities, and we outline benefits for the wider community of qualitative researchers in psychology.     

Experiences in the War Zone,Shared Narratives,and Shifting Identities: Systematic Review of Qualitative Research

This systematic review examines qualitative research into the mental health issues encountered by military veteran personnel deployed to a combat zone. A small number of researchers have examined the often information-rich and complex experiences of returning personnel using a qualitative approach to data collection and analysis. However, qualitative studies have not often been appraised or synthesized. Using a qualitative method for conducting systematic review, the objectives of this article are twofold: (a) to review select research literature on veteran military populations, and (b) to describe veteran's experiences using a synthesis of themes across original qualitative research. Findings are discussed with considerations for applying qualitative research methods to future research of military service populations and implications for the provision of care.     

Multiperspectival designs and processes in interpretative phenomenological analysis research

ABSTRACT

Researchers using interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) within applied research typically use homogenous samples exploring shared perspectives on a single phenomenon of interest. This article explores the challenges and opportunities involved with developing rigorous and epistemologically coherent research designs for capturing more complex and systemic experiential phenomena, through the use of multiple perspectives to explore the same phenomenon. We outline a series of multiple perspective designs and analytic procedures that can be adapted and used across many diverse settings and populations. Whilst building upon existing approaches within qualitative methods and IPA, these designs and procedures are intended to scaffold clear routes to practical application, psychological intervention, the design of behaviour change interventions, and other recommendations for policy and practice. We discuss a variety of conceptual antecedents which situate these designs within phenomenology, pluralistic idiography, qualitative psychology, and wider debates within psychology and other social and behavioural sciences.     

Framework analysis: a worked example of a study exploring young people’s experiences of depression

Framework analysis is an approach to qualitative research that is increasingly used across multiple disciplines, including psychology, social policy, and nursing research. The stages of framework analysis have been described in published work, but the literature is lacking in articles describing how to conduct it in practice, particularly in the field of psychology, where researchers may be working as part of a team. Having used framework analysis on a study exploring adolescents’ experiences of depression, we faced various challenges along the way and learned from experience how to use this approach to qualitative analysis. In this reflective article, we describe a worked example of using framework, which we hope will assist other researchers in deciding if this approach is suitable for their own research, and will provide guidance on how one might go about conducting framework analysis when working as part of a research team. We conclude that framework is a valuable contribution to qualitative methods in psychology, offering a pragmatic, flexible and rigorous approach to data analysis.     

The Introduction of a Qualitative Perspective in Advanced Psychological Research Training: Narrative of a Mixed Methods Doctoral Dissertation

The first mixed methods dissertation in the Department of Psychology in the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences of Fordham University is described. In research on pre-kindergarten through 3rd-grade school programs, the interplay of quantitative hypothesis testing and qualitative discovery was used to gain knowledge of how different educational outcomes are achieved. A narrative addresses such contemporary disciplinary issues as the growing interest in qualitative research methods; the effort to employ holistic, contextually sensitive investigations of complex social problems; and the need in graduate training to facilitate the learning of and an identity formation that includes multiple methods. This study highlights the value of dissertation research for learning qualitative methods and melding multiple methods into a unified research identity and stresses graduate students' need for coursework on qualitative research methodology and philosophy of science. The pragmatic approach (Fishman, 1999) is suggested as one methodological framework capable of successfully synthesizing multiple methods.     

Mixed methods research design for pragmatic psychoanalytic studies

Calls for more rigorous psychoanalytic studies have increased over the past decade. The field has been divided by those who assert that psychoanalysis is properly a hermeneutic endeavor and those who see it as a science. A comparable debate is found in research methodology, where qualitative and quantitative methods have often been seen as occupying orthogonal positions. Recently, Mixed Methods Research (MMR) has emerged as a viable "third community" of research, pursuing a pragmatic approach to research endeavors through integrating qualitative and quantitative procedures in a single study design. Mixed Methods Research designs and the terminology associated with this emerging approach are explained, after which the methodology is explored as a potential integrative approach to a psychoanalytic human science. Both qualitative and quantitative research methods are reviewed, as well as how they may be used in Mixed Methods Research to study complex human phenomena.     

Encompassing experience: Meanings and methods in health psychology

Abstract

Health psychology is limited by its almost exclusive use of a positivist quantitative research paradigm, and the adoption and use of qualitative methods by health psychologists will provide increased understandings of health and illness. Qualitative methods provide a means to incorporate the social world into our research, and furnish ways to investigate the meanings of health and illness experience. We present a brief consideration of the qualitative paradigm and some important underlying issues related to its use. We describe three qualitative approaches - grounded theory, narrative analysis, and discourse analysis - chosen for their relevance and diversity. We provide illustrations of the use of each in health research, and suggest how these approaches could be utilised by health psychologists to enrich understanding in the health field. We conclude that health psychologists have a great deal to gain from joining other social science health researchers in adopting qualitative approaches in their research.     

Intérêts et limites de l’utilisation d’une méthodologie mixte : à propos d’une recherche en psychologie de la santé

Recently, the health social sciences, like some fields of psychology, have progressively adopted qualitative methods, particularly in English-speaking countries. When they come in addition to quantitative methods, they are called “mixed methodologies”. Among other reasons, these approaches suffer nonetheless of a lack of acknowledgement because of a still topical debate opposing the positivist-objectivist and the constructivist paradigms. Another reason to this lack of acknowledgement is due to the fact that several authors explain the use of a mixed methodology according to pragmatic arguments. The authors of this paper briefly present these debates and their pertinence in health psychology research and try to overcome them by showing that it is possible to make mixed methodologies fall within a constructivist approach. Their proposal is exemplified through a research work about organ donation decision led in Switzerland. Actually, this research embed multiple and complex factors that offer an appropriated ground for the use of a mixed methodology, qualitative and quantitative.     

Qualitatively driven mixed‐methods approaches to counselling and psychotherapy research

Many researchers and clinicians take an ‘either, or’ position regarding factors responsible for change when conducting research. Qualitatively driven mixed methods privilege the qualitative approach and offer the opportunity to generate multi‐dimensional material, permitting a more holistic insight into experiences that can be understood from a combination of epistemological and ontological stances. A qualitatively driven mixed‐methods approach apply a ‘both, and’ position when exploring the elements that produce change or that are under investigation, which can be of particular value to counselling and psychotherapy research. There are various ways of engaging with qualitatively driven mixed methods. Some designs include both qualitative and quantitative components, where the former is the core element. The secondary component may also be qualitative, known as a multimethod design. Yet, other designs mix different qualitative approaches, through the application of different qualitative analyses to the same data (pluralistic qualitative research). This paper discusses the application and value of qualitatively driven mixed methods in counselling and psychotherapy research through the presentation of two research case studies; one which mixes both qualitative and quantitative components to investigate the experiences of pain alleviation following a CBT pain management programme; and one which applies a pluralistic approach to a counselling psychology doctorate exploring the experiences and meanings attached to self‐harming. Through illustration and discussion of the case studies’ mixed‐methods approaches, this paper demonstrates that qualitatively driven mixed methods produce a more enhanced and holistic understanding into phenomena, and therefore a more balanced perspective to counselling and psychotherapy research.     

Integrating Qualitative and Quantitative Research Methods: A Research Model

A historical antagonism between proponents of qualitative methods and quantitative methods has prevented recognition of the benefits to be gained by employing both methods (that is, a multi-method approach) during the same study or program of studies. Increasingly, family therapy researchers have begun to recognize the value of a multi-method approach in bridging the current gaps among theory, research, and practice. However, current writings have yet to move beyond the discussion stage. This article proposes a bidirectional continuum that includes both qualitative and quantitative methods. An ethnographic content analysis approach is presented to illustrate the procedural stages of this continuum. The article ends with a discussion of the challenges in carrying out a bidirectional, multi-method approach and the potential contributions that an integrative research methodology will give both researchers and clinicians.     

解释现象学分析在中国的运用：系统评价及指南

作为一种质性研究方法, 解释现象学分析在心理学及社会科学的其他领域中逐渐兴起。目前在中国, 运用解释现象学分析的研究质量参差不齐, 对这些研究进行系统评价, 可以为将来的研究提供指导。通过对中英文数据库的检索及筛选, 最终纳入49篇期刊文章。根据Smith (2011)为解释现象学分析提出的4个标准对这些文章进行评价, 结果显示, 26篇研究明确提及了解释现象学的理论原则, 33篇文章的资料收集及分析过程清晰透明, 大部分研究(n = 40)条理清晰、言之成理, 但只有约1/4的研究(n = 13)提供了足够强的证据来支持其提取出来的主题。只有4篇全部达到质量标准, 11篇基本达到标准, 大部分文章没有达到标准。最后, 本研究尝试提出一份解释现象学分析的使用指南, 供将来的研究参考。     

“Am iz kwiin” (I’m his queen): Combining interpretative phenomenological analysis with a feminist approach to work with gems in a resource-constrained setting

ABSTRACT

This article focuses on working with gems using a feminist approach to interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) in a resource-constrained setting. The research explores the experiences of maternal disclosure of HIV to children of HIV positive mothers in Kingston, Jamaica. A feminist approach helps recognise power imbalances within research relationships and the women’s lived experiences. We present three “gems” which illuminate women’s lived experiences and explore how popularised representations of women’s sexuality and mothering influence disclosure discourses. We use emotion work as a conceptual resource to structure the women’s narratives and challenge existing policy discourses, which arguably represent disclosure within a binary, rationalist, decision-making framework. This article adds to global literature on maternal HIV disclosure and problematises policy discourses by bringing into relief the emotion work women engage in when deciding if and how to communicate their HIV status to their children. It adds to the body of research using IPA, particularly in resource-constrained settings where IPA has thus far had little application.     

Family routines and rituals in the context of chronic conditions: A review

This paper is a systematic review of 39 empirical studies on family routines and rituals in the context of a chronic condition of a family member. The search strategy encompassed a wide spectrum of chronic conditions affecting family members from childhood/adolescence to adulthood. Twenty quantitative, 13 qualitative, 3 mixed‐methods, and 3 intervention studies published between 1995 and 2012 were reviewed. A conceptual framework of routines and rituals as key elements of family health was adopted, resulting in three main findings. First, a chronic condition in a family member impacted the frequency and nature of family's routines and rituals. Second, these whole‐family interactions held important functions for individuals and families, constituting strategic resources in the condition's management and opportunities for emotional support exchanges, and providing the family with a sense of normalcy amid the challenges posed by chronic conditions. Third, family routines and rituals were linked to positive health and adaptation outcomes for both patients and family members. Implications for future research include the need for the distinction between routines and rituals against a conceptual background, use of validated assessment methods, and empirical examination of predictors of changes in routines and rituals throughout the course of the condition and of the mechanisms linking these family events to positive outcomes. Conclusions support the inclusion of routines and rituals in a family‐centered care approach to the understanding and treatment of chronic conditions.     

Qualitative Exploration of an Effective Depression Literacy Fotonovela with at Risk Latina Immigrants

While depression is prevalent among immigrant Latinas, mental health literacy is low. Culturally tailored health narratives can improve mental health literacy and are now increasingly featured in Spanish language fotonovelas (i.e., booklets in a comic book format with posed photographs and dialogue bubbles). The purpose of this qualitative study is to explore why a depression literacy fotonovela proved effective with Latina immigrants at risk for depression in a quantitative randomized control study. This study is the qualitative companion of the previously published quantitative piece of a mixed methods study, the latter revealing posttest improvements in depression knowledge, self‐efficacy to identify the need for treatment, and decreased stigma towards mental health care (Hernandez and Organista in Am J Community Psychol 2013 . doi:10.1007/s10464‐013‐9587‐1). Twenty‐five immigrant Latinas participated in structured interviews, in the current qualitative study, 3 weeks after participating in the quantitative study. Results suggest depression literacy improved because participants evidenced high recall of the storyline and characters, which they also found appealing (e.g., liked peer and professional support offered to depressed main character). Further, identification with the main character was reflected in participants recalling similar circumstances impacting their mental health. Despite some improvement, stigma related to depression and its treatment remained for some women. Future research for the improvement of health literacy tools is discussed.     

Disintegration,New Consciousness,and Discontinuous Transformation: A Qualitative Investigation of Quantum Change

The role of qualitative methods within humanistic psychology research is explored though a Web-based dialogue among the authors expressing varying, and often quite diverging, views on assorted concerns about research methodologies and their underlying epistemologies. Specifically explored is whether qualitative methods are inherently better for capturing an understanding of human experience congruent with a human science approach to research or, alternatively, whether both qualitative and quantitative approaches simply offer different, and often complementary, advantages and disadvantages. The divisiveness between humanistic and positive psychology is also explored in relationship to the former field's frequent preference for qualitative methods within a human science paradigm, in contrast to the latter field's frequent preference for quantitative methods within a positivistic science paradigm.