Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Qualitative Methods in Clinical Psychology

  • Chapter
Handbook of Research in Pediatric and Clinical Child Psychology

Part of the book series: Issues in Clinical Child Psychology ((ICCP))

Abstract

Social science researchers are demonstrating a renewed interest in the use of qualitative methods to develop new knowledge and theory. In this chapter we explore this renewed interest by providing a brief overview of the historical preferences and precedents in research methods and by defining qualitative methods. We describe several of the more popular types of qualitative approaches, discuss criteria for evaluating adequacy of qualitative studies, demonstrate the application of qualitative methods in clinical child psychology, and finally, outline some current resources for training opportunities in qualitative methods.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 259.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 329.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD 329.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

Preview

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Anderson, P. P., & Fenichel, E. S. (1989). Serving culturally diverse families of infants and toddlers with disabilities. Arlington, VA: National Center for Clinical Infant Programs.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ashworth, P. D., Giorgi, A., & deKonig, A. J. J. (Eds.). (1986). Qualitative research in psychology: Proceedings of the International Association for Qualitative Research in Social Sciences. Pittsburgh, PA: Duquesne University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Banister, P. Burman, E., Parker, I., Taylor, M., & Tindall, C. (Eds.). (1994). Qualitative methods in psychology: A research guide. Buckingham, England: Open University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Barker, R. G., & Wright, H. F. (1955). Midwest and its children. New York: Harper & Row

    Google Scholar 

  • Beck, C. T. (1990). Qualitative research: Methodologies and use in pediatric nursing. Issues in Comprehensive Pediatric Nursing, 13, 193–201.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Biklen, S. K., & Moseley, C. R. (1988). “Are you retarded?” “No, I’m Catholic”: Qualitative methods in the study of people with severe handicaps. Journal of the Association for Persons with Severe Handicaps, 13(3), 155–162.

    Google Scholar 

  • Blake, R. L., Jr. (1989). Integrating quantitative and qualitative methods in family research. Family Systems Medicine, 7, 411–427.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bowlby, J. (1969a). Attachment and loss: Vol. 1. Attachment. New York: Basic Books.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bowlby, J. (1969b). Attachment and loss: Vol. 2. Separation: Anxiety and anger. New York: Basic Boo

    Google Scholar 

  • Bowman, B. B. (1995). Children’s perspectives of disrupted adoption: A qualitative study of lives within the child welfare system. Unpublished doctoral thesis, University of Oregon.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bronfenbrenner, U. (1979). The ecology of human development. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bruner, J. (1990). Acts of meaning. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Burton, L. (1991). Intergenerational patterns which influence the nurturing domain: Infants, parents and grandparents. Presentation at the National Center for Clinical Infant Programs conference, Washington, DC., December 7,1991.

    Google Scholar 

  • Clarke, L. (1992). Qualitative research: Meaning and language. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 17, 243–252.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Comte, A. (1998). Early political writings (edited and translated by H. S. Jones). Cambridge, NY: Cambridge University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cross, T. L., Bazron, B. J., Dennis, K. W., & Isaacs, M. R. (1989). Towards a culturally competent system of care, Vol. 1. Available from the Georgetown University Child Development Center, 3307 M Street, NW, Washington, DC.

    Google Scholar 

  • Danzinger, K. (1979). The social origins of modern psychology. In A. Buss (Ed.), Psychology in social context. New York: Irvington.

    Google Scholar 

  • Fiese, B. H. (1997). Family context in pediatric psychology from a transactional perspective: Family rituals and stories as examples. Journal of Pediatric Psychology, 22(2), 183–196.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Frye, H., & Simeonsson, R. J. (1979). Quantitative and qualitative analyses of moral reasoning in children, adolescents, and adults of similar mental age. Journal of Pediatric Psychology, 1,197–210.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gergen, K. (1973). Social psychology as history. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 26, 309–320.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gergen, K. (1978). Experimentation in social psychology. European Journal of Social Psychology, 8, 507–527.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Glaser, B. G., & Strauss, A. L. (1967). The discovery of grounded theory: Strategies for qualitative research. New York: Aldine.

    Google Scholar 

  • Goldman, S. L., Whitney-Saltiel, D., Granger, J., & Rodin, J. (1991). Children’s representations of “everyday” aspects of health and illness. Journal of Pediatric Psychology, 16, 747–766.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Gottman. J. M. (1979). Marital interaction: Experimental investigations. New York: Academic Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Greene, J. C., & Caracelli, V. J. (1997). Defining and describing the paradigm issue in mixed-method evaluation. New Directions for Evaluation, 74, 5–17.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Habermann-Little, B. (1991). Qualitative research methodologies: An overview. Journal of Neuroscience Nursing, 23, 188–190.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Harre, R., & Secord, P. F. (1972). The explanation of social behavior. Oxford: Blackwell.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hayes, N. (Ed.). (1997). Doing qualitative research in psychology. Hove, England: Psychology Press/ Erlbaum.

    Google Scholar 

  • Henwood, K. L., & Pidgeon, N. F. (1992). Qualitative research and psychological theorizing. British Journal of Psychology, 83, 97–111.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Huttlinger, K., Krefting, L., Drevdahl, D., Tree, P., Baca, E., & Benally, A. (1992). “Doing battle”: A metaphorical analysis of diabetes mellitus among Navajo people. American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 46, 706–712.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Inman, C. E. (1991). Analyzed interaction in a children’s oncology clinic: The child’s view and parent’s opinion of the effect of medical encounters. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 16, 782–793.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Kazak, A. (1997). A contextual family/systems approach to pediatric psychology: Introduction to the special issue. Journal of Pediatric Psychology, 22, 141–148.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Keeley, S. M., Shemberg, K. M., & Zaynor, L. (1988). Dissertation research in clinical psychology: Beyond positivism? Professional Psychology: Research and Practice, 19, 216–222.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kistner, J., Eberstein, I. W., Balthazor, M., Castro, R., Foster, K., Osborne, M., Sly, D., & Quadagno, D. (1997). Assessing children’s conceptions of AIDS. Journal of Pediatric Psychology, 21, 269–282.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Krahn, G. L., Eisert, D., & Fifleld, B. (1990). Obtaining parental perceptions of the quality of services for children with special health needs. Journal of Pediatric Psychology, 15, 761–774.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Krahn, G. L., Hallum, A., & Kirne, C. (1993). Are there good ways to give “bad news”? Pediatrics, 91, 578–582.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Krahn, G. L., & Hartzell, M. S. (1996). Children with special health care needs and managed care in Oregon. Presentation at the American Public Health Association, New York, November 1996.

    Google Scholar 

  • Krahn, G. L., Hohn, M. F., & Kime, C. (1995). Incorporating qualitative approaches into clinical child psychology research. Journal of Clinical Child Psychology, 24, 204–213.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • LaGreca, A. M., Auslander, W. F., Greco, P., Spetter, D., Fisher, E. G., Jr., & Santiago, J. V. (1995). I get by with a little help from my family and friends: Adolescents’ support for diabetes care. Journal of Pediatric Psychology, 20, 449–476.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • La Greca, A. M., & Lemanek, K. L. (1996). Editorial: Assessment as a process in pediatric psychology. Journal of Pediatric Psychology, 21,137–151.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Lincoln, Y. S., & Guba, E.G. (1985). Naturalistic inquiry. Beverly Hills, CA: Sage.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lynch, E. W., & Hanson, M. J. (1992). Developing cross-cultural competence: A guide for working with young children and their families. Baltimore: Brookes.

    Google Scholar 

  • Miles, M. B., & Huberman, A. M (1984). Qualitative data analysis. Beverly Hills, CA: Sage.

    Google Scholar 

  • Miles, M. B., & Huberman, A.M. (1994). Qualitative analysis: An expanded sourcebook (2nd ed.). Beverly Hills, CA: Sage.

    Google Scholar 

  • Morgan, D. L. (1988). Focus groups as qualitative research. Beverly Hills, CA: Sage.

    Google Scholar 

  • Needleman, C., & Needleman, M. L. (1995). Qualitative methods for intervention research. American Journal of Industrial Medicine, 29, 329–337.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Patterson, G. R. (1975). Families: Applications of social learning to family life (rev. ed.). Champaign, IL: Research Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Patton, M. J. (1991). Qualitative research on college students: Philosophical and methodological comparisons with the quantitative approach. Journal of College Student Development, 32, 389–396.

    Google Scholar 

  • Patton, M. Q. (1990). Qualitative evaluation and research methods. Newberry Park, CA: Sage.

    Google Scholar 

  • Quittner, A. L., Tolbert, V. E., Regoli, M. J., Orenstein, D. M., Hollingsworth, J. L., & Eigen, H. (1996). Development of the Role-play Inventory of Situations and Coping Strategies for parents of children with cystic fibrosis. Journal of Pediatric Psychology, 21, 209–235.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Reichardt, C. S., & Cook, T. D. (1979). Beyond qualitative versus quantitative methods. In T. D. Cook & C. S. Reichardt (Eds.), Sage research progress series in evaluation: Vol.1. Qualitative and quantitative methods in evaluation research (pp. 7–32). Beverly Hills, CA: Sage.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rennie, D. L., Phillips, J. R., & Quartaro, G. K. (1988). Grounded theory: A promising approach to conceptualization in psychology. Canadian Psychology, 29, 139–150.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ronai, C. R. (1997). On loving and hating my mentally retarded mother. Mental Retardation, 35,417–432.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Schaef, A. W., & Fassel, D. (1988). The addictive organization. San Francisco, CA: Harper & Row.

    Google Scholar 

  • Schroeder, H. W. (1991). Preference and meaning of arboretum landscapes: Combining quantitative and qualitative data. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 11, 231–248.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sechrest, L., & Sidani, S. (1995). Quantitative and qualitative methods: Is there an alternative? Evaluation and Program Planning, 18, 77–87.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Shotter, J. (1975). Images of man in psychological research. London: Methuen.

    Google Scholar 

  • Smith, J., Harre, R., & Van Langenhove (Eds.). (1995a). Rethinking methods in psychology. London: Sage.

    Google Scholar 

  • Smith, J., Harre, R., & Van Langenhove (Eds.). (1995b). Rethinking psychology. London: Sage.

    Google Scholar 

  • Smith, M. L. (1997). Mixing and matching: Methods and models. New Directions for Evaluation, 74,73–85.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Spitzer, A., Webster-Stratton, C., & Hollinsworth, T. (1991). Coping with conduct-problem children: Parents gaming knowledge and control. Journal of Clinical Child Psychology, 20, 413–427.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Stratton, P. (1991). Attributions, baseball and consumer behaviour. Journal of the Market Research Society, 33,163–178.

    Google Scholar 

  • Strauss, A. K. (1987). Qualitative analysis for social scientists. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Strauss, A., & Corbin, J. (1990). Rasics of qualitative research. Beverly Hills, CA: Sage.

    Google Scholar 

  • Todis, B. (1996). Tools for the task? Perspectives on assistive technology in educational settings. Journal of Special Education Technology, 13, 49–61.

    Google Scholar 

  • Waitzkin, H. (1990). On studying the discourse of medical encounters. Medical Care, 28, 473–487.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Webster-Stratton, C., & Spitzer, A. (1996). Parenting a young child with conduct problems: New insights using qualitative methods. In T. H. Ollendick & F. J. Prinz (Eds.), Advances in clinical child psychology (Vol. 18, pp. 1–62). New York: Plenum Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Weiss, K. L., Marvin, R. S., & Pianta, R. C. (1997). Ethnographic detection and description of family strategies for child care: Applications to the study of cerebral palsy. Journal of Pediatric Psychology, 22, 263–278.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Wicker, A. W. (1985). Getting out of our conceptual ruts: Strategies for expanding conceptual frameworks. American Psychologist, 40,1094–1103.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wicker, A. W. (1989). Substantive theorizing. American Journal of Community Psychology, 17, 531–547.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Oregon Health Sciences University, Child Development and Rehabilitation Center, Portland, Oregon, 97207-0574, USA

    Gloria L. Krahn & Debra Eisert

Authors
  1. Gloria L. Krahn
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Debra Eisert
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Rainbow Babies and Children’s Hospital and Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio, USA

    Dennis Drotar

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2000 Springer Science+Business Media New York

About this chapter

Cite this chapter

Krahn, G.L., Eisert, D. (2000). Qualitative Methods in Clinical Psychology. In: Drotar, D. (eds) Handbook of Research in Pediatric and Clinical Child Psychology. Issues in Clinical Child Psychology. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4615-4165-3_7

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4615-4165-3_7

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Boston, MA

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4613-6869-4

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4615-4165-3

  • eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation