IB Psychology HL 2.4.6 Research methods Question Bank

The stimulus material below describes a study in which the aim was to understand the experiences of European adults who have received mental healthcare. An increasing number of people need treatment for mental health conditions. Examples of treatments include medication and talking therapies, such as counselling. It is important that mental healthcare providers consider the experiences of the people receiving care. The researchers employed interview facilitators in seven European countries. These facilitators were all mental healthcare workers, such as psychologists and mental health nurses. Each facilitator only carried out an interview in their own country. They were all known by their participants. There were 73 participants specifically chosen to take part. They all had experiences with different forms of treatment for a mental health problem. Some participants had paid for care, while others had received it for free, either from a charitable organization or as government- funded care. The length of their treatment had varied from six months to five years. One interview was carried out in each country. Each interview involved between 6 and 12 participants and was carried out in the native language of the country. Every effort was made to create a safe and friendly environment for the interview. The participants were informed about the aims of the study. They all gave permission for the interview to be audio-recorded and signed a consent form. The participants provided information about their age, gender and ethnicity. They also gave details about their mental health condition and the treatment they had received. The researchers wrote an interview guide in English. This was translated into the languages of the non-English speaking countries. The interviews began with general questions about the participants’ experiences. Once everyone felt comfortable sharing, the questions began to focus on the participants’ personal experiences of access to mental healthcare. They were also asked to share their views on the effectiveness and quality of their treatment. Each interview facilitator transcribed their audio-recorded interview and carried out an initial analysis of the transcript. They identified each participant with a unique code. The transcripts and initial analyses were then translated into English and sent to the researchers, who carried out further inductive content analysis. Several themes were identified by the researchers. These included “not knowing where to get help from” and “the importance of receiving help quickly.”

– 3 – 2225 – 5803 Disclaimer: Content used in IB assessments is taken from authentic, third-party sources. The views expressed within them belong to their individual authors and/or publishers and do not necessarily reflect the views of the IB. References: Axelsson, M., Schønning, V., Bockting, C. et al. Lived experiences: a focus group pilot study within the MentALLY project of mental healthcare among European users. BMC Health Serv Res 20, 605 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12913-020-05454-5. Source adapted. Licenced under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license: http://creativecommons.org/ licenses/by/4.0/deed.en.

Identify the research method used and outline two characteristics of the method.

The stimulus material below describes a study in which the aim was to understand the experiences of European adults who have received mental healthcare. An increasing number of people need treatment for mental health conditions. Examples of treatments include medication and talking therapies, such as counselling. It is important that mental healthcare providers consider the experiences of the people receiving care. The researchers employed interview facilitators in seven European countries. These facilitators were all mental healthcare workers, such as psychologists and mental health nurses. Each facilitator only carried out an interview in their own country. They were all known by their participants. There were 73 participants specifically chosen to take part. They all had experiences with different forms of treatment for a mental health problem. Some participants had paid for care, while others had received it for free, either from a charitable organization or as government- funded care. The length of their treatment had varied from six months to five years. One interview was carried out in each country. Each interview involved between 6 and 12 participants and was carried out in the native language of the country. Every effort was made to create a safe and friendly environment for the interview. The participants were informed about the aims of the study. They all gave permission for the interview to be audio-recorded and signed a consent form. The participants provided information about their age, gender and ethnicity. They also gave details about their mental health condition and the treatment they had received. The researchers wrote an interview guide in English. This was translated into the languages of the non-English speaking countries. The interviews began with general questions about the participants’ experiences. Once everyone felt comfortable sharing, the questions began to focus on the participants’ personal experiences of access to mental healthcare. They were also asked to share their views on the effectiveness and quality of their treatment. Each interview facilitator transcribed their audio-recorded interview and carried out an initial analysis of the transcript. They identified each participant with a unique code. The transcripts and initial analyses were then translated into English and sent to the researchers, who carried out further inductive content analysis. Several themes were identified by the researchers. These included “not knowing where to get help from” and “the importance of receiving help quickly.”

– 3 – 2225 – 5803 Disclaimer: Content used in IB assessments is taken from authentic, third-party sources. The views expressed within them belong to their individual authors and/or publishers and do not necessarily reflect the views of the IB. References: Axelsson, M., Schønning, V., Bockting, C. et al. Lived experiences: a focus group pilot study within the MentALLY project of mental healthcare among European users. BMC Health Serv Res 20, 605 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12913-020-05454-5. Source adapted. Licenced under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license: http://creativecommons.org/ licenses/by/4.0/deed.en.

Suggest one alternative or one additional research method that could be used to investigate the aim of the original study, giving one reason for your choice.