Can the mentally ill be interviewed? What kind of reliability can be expected in their responses? What about the ethics of informed consent? Although standard social science methodologies have been used successfully to study mental health, researching issues with mentally ill individuals introduces unique theoretical and methodological issues. Focusing on the study of mentally ill adults at the individual level of analysis, this book explores such topics as: how theories of human behaviour that have been developed for a general population may have limited applicability to the population under study; how symptoms are defined and measured; ways to plan and implement research; uses of alternative data sources such as clinical charts; and the issues of research in multi-disciplinary settings.
A topic relevant to everyone - friendship - is explored in this volume, the first in the SAGE Series on Close Relationships. It presents a thoughtful statement about what we know, and have yet to learn, concerning adults' friendships. The authors discuss state-of-the-art research on the interplay between social structure, individual disposition and dynamic processes of friendship, and findings on both similarities and differences across adult lifecourse stages. They provide a theoretical framework, incorporating both sociological and psychological perspectives. Using this framework, they offer a new and integrative model of friendship to synthesize research, identify gaps in the literature, scrutinize methods used and produce a map for future research.
This important collection presents a comparative synthesis of what works and what does not in mass media health campaigns. High priority is given to coverage of substance abuse prevention campaigns, but programmes on AIDS, smoking, teenage pregnancy, heart disease, Alzheimer's Disease and vehicle seat belt use are also reviewed. Designing Health Communication Campaigns deepens our understanding of how to design, implement and evaluate mass media campaigns by highlighting the contributions of media experts who add a human element to the various campaign experiences they describe.
Can the mentally ill be interviewed? What kind of reliability can be expected in their responses? What about the ethics of informed consent? Although standard social science methodologies have been used successfully to study mental health, researching issues with mentally ill individuals introduces unique theoretical and methodological issues. Focusing on the study of mentally ill adults at the individual level of analysis, this book explores such topics as: how theories of human behaviour that have been developed for a general population may have limited applicability to the population under study; how symptoms are defined and measured; ways to plan and implement research; uses of alternative data sources such as clinical charts; and the issues of research in multi-disciplinary settings.
The phrase `production of culture' is concerned with how the organizations in which culture is produced and disseminated affect the nature of culture itself. Yet there is no clear consensus on what is meant by this phrase. Crane, in reviewing and synthesizing current research, provides a systematic and accessible approach to this complex subject. She examines the issue on both popular and elite levels. The reader is thus allowed to see how the notion of `production' changes depending on the size of the audience and the structure of the particular cultural industry.
Practical ways of undertaking research into psychotherapy are explored in this unique volume, which surveys the latest developments in psychotherapy process research and examines their implications for clinical practice. Giving equal weight to both paradigmatic and narrative approaches to explanation of the therapeutic process, contributions exemplify both relatively `pure' uses of either approach and their joint application. Each mode is seen to be especially suited to explaining a particular aspect of the overall therapeutic process and the question arises of whether or not the two approaches can be integrated. This question is addressed in terms of the implicit assumptions supporting each approach.
This volume reflects the current state of preventive psychology with contributions by those active in stress and mental ill-health prevention research and implementation. The essays report continuing international efforts and discuss the history of prevention and changes in thinking that have occurred over the years. Among the topics explored are the concept of the chronically mentally ill, stressful life event theory, stress in urban school children and the prevention of cardiovascular disease. The volume is designed to honour George Albee, a pioneer in preventive psychology.
This volume aims to help prospective educational researchers plan their research in schools more carefully. It focuses on such issues as: access and credibility in the school; traditional issues of designing research; questions that emerge as the design is imposed on the school culture and setting particularly with regard to school staff and student assessment; the length of interventions and whether or not to schedule follow-up studies; and how to interpret and communicate findings to schools and policy makers. Using personal experiences from their field research to illustrate key concepts, the authors have also included a research project to clarify the practical issues of school research.
This volume provides a basic framework for using visual data - namely still photographs - as a tool for social analysis. The authors determine the importance of theoretical assumptions in analyzing these data and provide advice on how to use photographs in cognitive, symbolist and structuralist research. The book is richly illustrated with examples ranging from Native American masks to perfume advertisements.
