Example Answer
AC 1.1. Evaluate the conceptual foundations, issues and nature of paradigms and approaches to qualitative research.
Task 1:
As a Health Psychologist in a Small and Medium Enterprise (SME) of the care industry, like Helios Hospital, which is a part of Quironsalud Group, qualitative research can be instrumental in the lived experience of the patient with the illness, their compliance with the treatment, emotional distress, and behavioural change. In contrast to the quantitative research, which lies in the measurement and statistical generalisation, the qualitative research lies in the meaning, context and subjective experience. This is especially pertinent to the healthcare environment, where the medical service delivery is based on psychological well-being, chronic disease, and patient-centred care. This report critically assesses the conceptual basis, problems, and character of paradigm foundations of qualitative research in psychology, and also assesses the major approaches to qualitative research in health psychology research.
Theoretical Underpinnings of Qualitative Paradigms
A research paradigm is a form of beliefs and assumptions concerning reality (ontology), knowledge (epistemology), and how knowledge can be produced (methodology). Qualitative psychology is mainly based on interpretivism, constructivism, and critical paradigms as perbBraun and Clarke (2021).
The interpretivist paradigm presupposes the social construction and subjectivity of reality. In this view, the psychological experiences of pain, anxiety or living with chronic illness are not independent realities, but they are determined by individual, cultural and social realities (Braun and Clarke, 2021). In the case of Helios Hospital, patients receiving long-term care might have different interpretations of illness within the framework of their cultural beliefs, past healthcare experiences, or family support systems (Balthazar and Vendrely, 2021). Qualitative research helps the Health Psychologist to examine these meanings as opposed to converting them into numerical scores.
The constructivist paradigm builds on interpretivism by focusing on the fact that knowledge is constructed between the researcher and the participant. This emphasises the relationship aspect of psychological assessment and intervention in a healthcare environment. The Health Psychologist becomes a participant and not a neutral observer when conducting interviews on adherence to medication or lifestyle change, in that knowledge is being generated (Balthazar and Vendrely, 2021). This paradigm helps to promote reflective practice and fits with the models of patient-centred care that Quironsalud encourages.
Critical paradigm is concerned with power, inequality and social structures as factors that affect health and illness. This applies especially well when looking at the access to care, disparities in health, stigma of mental health, or marginalisation of chronically ill patients. In a big private healthcare organisation such as Quironsalud, a qualitative study is critical, and it could point out the effects of organisational policies, the socioeconomic status, or cultural norms on the patient experience and outcomes (Balthazar and Vendrely, 2021).
Problems in the paradigms of qualitative research
No matter how strong the qualitative paradigms are, they also have a number of conceptual and practical challenges. Subjectivity and researcher bias are among them. Critics believe that the results of qualitative research are not objective because qualitative research largely depends on interpretation (Nestel et al., 2019). Nevertheless, reflexivity, the ability to critically examine the researcher, his/her own role, assumptions, and impact, can be used to overcome this issue. Reflexivity is also an ethical concern in the practice of clinical psychology, helping bring out transparency and accountability.
The other problem is associated with validity and reliability. The conventional quantitative measures, like replicability, cannot be applied to qualitative research. On the contrary, qualitative paradigms focus on credibility, transferability, dependability, and confirmability (Nestel et al., 2019). Indicatively, results of interviews with chronic pain patients in the Helios Hospital could not be statistically generalised but could still provide transferable information to similar healthcare facilities.
Qualitative paradigms also focus on ethical issues. Talking about sickness, violence, or psychological difficulties may arouse feelings of distress. Thus, qualitative research in psychology should follow high ethical principles, such as informed consent, confidentiality, and safeguarding, which are consistent with the norms of professional practice in psychology and organisational management in Quironsalud (Maltezou et al., 2022).
AC 1.2:
Introduction to Qualitative Research Methodologies
In qualitative paradigms, there are a number of methodological approaches which are popular in the field of psychology that have a particular conceptual basis and implementation in the health care context.
Phenomenology deals with the experiences of living of people. Phenomenological studies are especially useful in health psychology to explain patients` experiences of chronic illness, hospitalisation or mental distress (Grove and Grey, 2019). As an example, a phenomenological research in the context of Helios Hospital may examine the adaptation of patients to the long-term course of cancer treatment in terms of emotions, which would help to enhance psychological assistance services.
An approach that is common in health psychology is the Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA), which is a synthesis of phenomenology and interpretivism. IPA acknowledges that researchers derive meanings of what people perceive to have happened to them. This method is appropriate for small, in-depth studies, which are inherent to the SME healthcare setting and enable individual care planning (Grove and Grey, 2019).
Grounded Theory is focused on using data to produce theory as opposed to testing theories. An example of a grounded theory application that may be applied in the case of Quironsalud is the development of a theoretical model to explain the behaviour of patients towards adopting or resisting prescribed health behaviours, including diet change or adherence to medicine (Tie, Birks and Francis, 2019). This comes in handy, especially when designing behaviour change interventions based on actual experiences of patients.
Narrative Analysis focuses on the meaning-making through stories by individuals. Patients have the tendency to make meaning of illness through the narrations of their experience of illness, diagnosis, treatment, and recovery. The study of these stories can assist Health psychologists to comprehend identity transformation, coping mechanisms, and emotional stability, which are critical to comprehensive care (McLeod, 2024).
Thematic Analysis is a versatile and popular methodology and is applied to determine patterns and themes of qualitative information. It is especially applicable in applied healthcare research as it is available, systematic, and fits different paradigms. To illustrate, patient feedback interviews could be analysed through thematic analysis to enhance the psychological well-being services in the area of Helios Hospital (Braun and Clarke, 2021).
