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Issues Encountered in a Qualitative Secondary Analysis of Help-Seeking in the Prodrome to Psychosis

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Abstract

Primary data are rarely used explicitly as a source of data outside of the original research purpose for which they were collected. As a result, qualitative secondary analysis (QSA) has been described as an “invisible enterprise” for which there is a “notable silence” amongst the qualitative research community. In this paper, we report on the methodological implications of conducting a secondary analysis of qualitative data focusing on parents’ narratives of help-seeking activities in the prodrome to psychosis. We review the literature on QSA, highlighting the main characteristics of the approach, and discuss issues and challenges encountered in conducting a secondary analysis. We conclude with some thoughts on the implications for conducting a QSA in children’s mental health services and research.

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Notes

  1. Further details regarding the substantive findings related to the QSA are available from the authors upon request.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Community Health Systems Resource Group, The Hospital for Sick Children, 555 University Avenue, Toronto, Ontario, M5G 1X8, Canada

    Brenda M. Gladstone PhD (c), Tiziana Volpe MSc, PhD (c) & Katherine M. Boydell MHSc, PhD

  2. Community Health Systems Resource Group, Child Health Evaluative Services, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

    Katherine M. Boydell MHSc, PhD

  3. Departments of Psychiatry and Public Health Sciences, University of Toronto, 555 University Avenue, Toronto, Ontario, M5G 1X8, Canada

    Katherine M. Boydell MHSc, PhD

Authors
  1. Brenda M. Gladstone PhD (c)
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  2. Tiziana Volpe MSc, PhD (c)
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  3. Katherine M. Boydell MHSc, PhD
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Correspondence to Brenda M. Gladstone PhD (c).

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Gladstone, B.M., Volpe, T. & Boydell, K.M. Issues Encountered in a Qualitative Secondary Analysis of Help-Seeking in the Prodrome to Psychosis. J Behav Health Serv Res 34, 431–442 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11414-007-9079-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11414-007-9079-x

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