Leveraging qualitative approaches to guide sustainable international research collaborations.
Qualitative research approaches were used to launch an international research collaboration between the U. S. and Cambodia. Cambodian officials requested assistance in learning qualitative approaches to complement the research skills of Cambodian mental health providers. This article provides a desc...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Public Library of Science (PLoS)
2024-01-01
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| Series: | PLOS Global Public Health |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pgph.0002941 |
| _version_ | 1797244748693504000 |
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| author | Roxanne Vandermause Rachel Kryah Julie Bertram Hannah L Stewart Nil Ean Steven Bruce Adam W Carrico Julie A Mannarino Robert H Paul |
| author_facet | Roxanne Vandermause Rachel Kryah Julie Bertram Hannah L Stewart Nil Ean Steven Bruce Adam W Carrico Julie A Mannarino Robert H Paul |
| author_sort | Roxanne Vandermause |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Qualitative research approaches were used to launch an international research collaboration between the U. S. and Cambodia. Cambodian officials requested assistance in learning qualitative approaches to complement the research skills of Cambodian mental health providers. This article provides a description of how U. S. researchers responded to that request and engaged with Cambodian psychiatrists to explore mental health needs and interventions in both countries and initiate a sustainable relationship. The early focus on qualitative research methodologies may be an avenue that mitigates some of the challenges that can characterize international research. In this study, early communications involved developing a plan to teach qualitative methods while also collecting and analyzing data in both countries that would address the mental health concerns experienced by respective care providers. A case study exemplar was embedded with a scripted focus group guide to collect data from U. S. focus groups, then share with Cambodian psychiatrists. Components of hermeneutic phenomenological interviewing and descriptive content analysis were used to simultaneously teach and enact the research methods, gather data in both countries to analyze, and inspire participants to replicate the methods in their ongoing work. Cambodian psychiatrists were able to demonstrate competence in facilitating focus groups after being participant-observers. Researcher/practitioners from both U. S. and Cambodian teams gained new understandings about the mental health needs of their patients. The mutual engagement of a research focus is an effective way to establish cross-cultural relationships. The challenges of staying with stable teams over times remain, but the content shared and learned in a participatory structure yields understandings that cross cultural boundaries. Anticipated and unexpected challenges may be offset by an intention of reciprocity and mutual engagement. The use of qualitative methodologies, early and repeatedly, can facilitate relational understanding. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-24T19:15:57Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-0f96016945834102ba5edffc1c319b21 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2767-3375 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-24T19:15:57Z |
| publishDate | 2024-01-01 |
| publisher | Public Library of Science (PLoS) |
| record_format | Article |
| series | PLOS Global Public Health |
| spelling | doaj.art-0f96016945834102ba5edffc1c319b212024-03-26T06:06:22ZengPublic Library of Science (PLoS)PLOS Global Public Health2767-33752024-01-0143e000294110.1371/journal.pgph.0002941Leveraging qualitative approaches to guide sustainable international research collaborations.Roxanne VandermauseRachel KryahJulie BertramHannah L StewartNil EanSteven BruceAdam W CarricoJulie A MannarinoRobert H PaulQualitative research approaches were used to launch an international research collaboration between the U. S. and Cambodia. Cambodian officials requested assistance in learning qualitative approaches to complement the research skills of Cambodian mental health providers. This article provides a description of how U. S. researchers responded to that request and engaged with Cambodian psychiatrists to explore mental health needs and interventions in both countries and initiate a sustainable relationship. The early focus on qualitative research methodologies may be an avenue that mitigates some of the challenges that can characterize international research. In this study, early communications involved developing a plan to teach qualitative methods while also collecting and analyzing data in both countries that would address the mental health concerns experienced by respective care providers. A case study exemplar was embedded with a scripted focus group guide to collect data from U. S. focus groups, then share with Cambodian psychiatrists. Components of hermeneutic phenomenological interviewing and descriptive content analysis were used to simultaneously teach and enact the research methods, gather data in both countries to analyze, and inspire participants to replicate the methods in their ongoing work. Cambodian psychiatrists were able to demonstrate competence in facilitating focus groups after being participant-observers. Researcher/practitioners from both U. S. and Cambodian teams gained new understandings about the mental health needs of their patients. The mutual engagement of a research focus is an effective way to establish cross-cultural relationships. The challenges of staying with stable teams over times remain, but the content shared and learned in a participatory structure yields understandings that cross cultural boundaries. Anticipated and unexpected challenges may be offset by an intention of reciprocity and mutual engagement. The use of qualitative methodologies, early and repeatedly, can facilitate relational understanding.https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pgph.0002941 |
| spellingShingle | Roxanne Vandermause Rachel Kryah Julie Bertram Hannah L Stewart Nil Ean Steven Bruce Adam W Carrico Julie A Mannarino Robert H Paul Leveraging qualitative approaches to guide sustainable international research collaborations. PLOS Global Public Health |
| title | Leveraging qualitative approaches to guide sustainable international research collaborations. |
| title_full | Leveraging qualitative approaches to guide sustainable international research collaborations. |
| title_fullStr | Leveraging qualitative approaches to guide sustainable international research collaborations. |
| title_full_unstemmed | Leveraging qualitative approaches to guide sustainable international research collaborations. |
| title_short | Leveraging qualitative approaches to guide sustainable international research collaborations. |
| title_sort | leveraging qualitative approaches to guide sustainable international research collaborations |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pgph.0002941 |
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