We discuss the use of focus group interviews as a research method in transcultural psychiatry. Focus groups are a new method in health research that can provide a contextual basis for making culturally sensitive interpretations. We illustrate advantages as well as disadvantages of this method with examples from our own research with immigrants and refugees in Sweden.
Altschuld, J. ,& Witkin, B. (2000). From needs assessment to action. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
2.
American Psychiatric Association . (1995). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (DSM-IV)(4th ed.). Washington DC: American Psychiatric Press.
3.
B‰‰rnhielm, S. (2000a). Clinical encounters with different illness realities.Qualitative studies of somatization and illness meaning among Swedish and Turkishborn women encountering local health care services in Western Stockholm.Licentiate thesis Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm.
4.
B‰‰rnhielm, S. (2000b). Making sense of suffering. Illness meaning among somatizing Swedish women in contact with local health care services. Nordic Journal of Psychiatry, 54, 423–430.
5.
B‰‰rnhielm, S. , & Ekblad, S. (2000). Turkish migrant women encountering health care in Stockholm. A qualitative study of somatization and illness meaning. Culture, Medicine and Psychiatry, 24, 431–452.
6.
B‰‰rnhielm, S. , & Ekblad, S. (2002a). Qualitative research, culture and ethics: A case discussion. Transcultural Psychiatry, 39(4), 469–484.
7.
B‰‰rnhielm, S. , & Ekblad, S. (2002b). In unfamiliar territory: Caregivers’ encounter with somatic communication of mental ill health in a multicultural community. Manuscript submitted for publication.
8.
Bloor, M. , Frankland, J., Thomas, M., & Robson, K. (2001). Focus group research in social research. London: Sage.
9.
Bolton, J. (2002). The third presence: A psychiatrist’s experience of working with non-English speaking patients and interpreters. Transcultural Psychiatry, 39(1), 97–114.
10.
Canino, G. , Lewis-Fern·ndez, R., & Bravo, M. (1997). Methodological challenges in cross-cultural mental health research. Transcultural Psychiatry, 34(2), 163–184.
11.
Chiu, L. F. , & Knight, D. (1999). How useful are focus groups for obtaining the views of minority groups? In R. S. Barbour & J. Kitzinger (Eds.), Developing focus group research. Politics, theory and practice(pp. 99–112). London: Sage.
12.
Ekblad, S. (1985). Social determinants of aggressive behaviour in a sample of Chinese primary school children.Thesis for Doctor in Medical Sciences, Department of Psychiatry, Huddinge University Hospital/Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm.
13.
Ekblad, S. (1996). Diagnostik och behandling av patienter med invandrarbakgrund. En ettÂrsuppföljning p en psykiatrisk öppenvÂrdsmottagning. [Diagnostics and treatment of patients with an immigrant background. A one year follow-up at a psychiatric outpatient clinic.] Statens institut för psykosocial miljömedicin (IPM), Sektionen för stressforskning, Karolinska Institutet, WHO: S Psykosociala Center, Stockholm, Sweden, Stress Research Reports nr 262.(Summary in English.)
14.
Ekblad, S. , Chen, C., Li, S., Huang, Y., Li, G., Li, Y., Zhang, W., Liu, M., Xu, L., Wang, Q., Shan, S., Ran, W., & Zhang, S. (1991). Stressors, Chinese city dwellings and quality of life. Stockholm: The Swedish Council for Building Research, D12-D12.
15.
Ekblad, S. , Martilla, M., & Emilsson, M. (2000). Cultural challenges in end-of-life care: Reflections from focus group interviews with hospice staff in Stockholm. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 31(3), 623–630.
16.
Engelmark Schönning, I-L. (2001). Somaliska ungdomars uppfattning av sin identitet och integration i det svenska samh‰llet. [Somalian youths’ perception of their identity and integration in Swedish society.] Magisteruppsats (20p) inom det Folkh‰lsovetenskapliga programmet vid Karolinska Institutet.
17.
Esposito, N. (2001). From meaning to meaning: The influence of translation techniques on non-English focus group research. Qualitative Health Research, 11(4), 568–579.
18.
Ezzey, D. (2001). Are qualitative methods misunderstood?Australian & New Zealand Journal of Public Health, 4, 294–297.
19.
Faxelid, E., & Johansson, E. (1999). Fokusgrupper i ett flerkulturellt perspektiv. Exempel frÂn Zambia och Vietnam. [Focus groups in a multicultural perspective. Examples from Zambia and Vietnam.] Socialmedicinsk tidskrift temanummer Fokusgrupper i forskning och utvecklingsarbete, 4, 340–346.
20.
Fern, E. F. (2001). Advanced focus group research.Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
21.
Frankland, J. , & Bloor, M. (1999). Some issues arising from the systematic analysis of focus group materials. In R. S. Barbour & J. Kitzinger (Eds.), Developing focus group research. Politics, theory and practice(pp. 144–155). London: Sage.
22.
Freeman, K. , O’Dell, C., & Meola, C. (2001). Focus group methodology for patients, parents and siblings. Journal of Pediatric Oncology Nursing, 18(6), 276–286.
23.
Guba, E. G. (1981). Criteria for assessing the trustworthiness of naturalistic inquiries. Educational Communication and Technology: A Journal of Theory, Research and Development, 29(2), 75–91.
24.
Guba, E. G. , & Lincoln, Y. S. (1994). Competing paradigms in qualitative research. In N. Denzin & Y. Lincoln (Eds.), Handbook of qualitative research(pp. 105–117). London: Sage.
25.
Hall, W. A. , & Callery, P. (2001). Enhancing the rigor of grounded theory: Incorporating reflexivity and relationality. Qualitative Health Research, 11(2), 257–272.
26.
Johansson, E. , Long, N. H., Diwan, V. K.,& Winkvist, A. (2000). Gender and tuberculosis control perspectives on health seeking behaviour among men and women in Vietnam. Health Policy, 52, 33–51.
27.
Kitzinger, J. (1995). Introducing focus groups. British Medical Journal, 311, 299–302.
28.
Kitzinger, J. (2000). Focus groups with users and providers of health care. In C. Pope & N. May (Eds.), Qualitative research in health care(pp. 19–21). London: BMJ Publishing.
29.
Kitzinger, J. , & Barbour, R. S. (1999). Introduction: The challenge and promise of focus groups. In R. S. Barbour & J. Kitzinger (Eds.), Developing focus group research(pp. 1–20). London: Sage.
30.
Kreuger, R. A. , & Casey, M. A. (2000). Focus groups: A practical guide for applied research.Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
31.
Lewis-Fern·ndez, R. , & Kleinman, A. (1993). Culture, personality and psychopathology. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 103(1), 67–71.
32.
MacDougall, C. , & Fudge, E. (2001). Planning and recruiting the sample for focus groups and in-depth interviews. Qualitative Health Research, 11(1), 117–126.
33.
Marks, D. F. , Murray, M., Evans, B., & Willig, C. (2000). Health psychology: Theory, research and practice. London: Sage.
34.
Maxwell, J. A. (1996). Qualitative research design. An interactive approach. Applied social research methods series, Vol. 41. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
35.
Mays, N. , & Pope, C. (1995). Rigour and qualitative research. British Medical Journal, 311, 109–112.
36.
McLeod, J. (2001). Qualitative research in counselling and psychotherapy. London: Sage.
37.
Morgan, D. L. (1997). Focus groups as qualitative research(2nd ed.). London: Sage.
38.
Morgan, L. (1996). Focus groups. Annual Review of Sociology, 22, 129–152.
39.
Morse, J. M. (Ed.). (2001). The cultural sensitivity of grounded theory. Qualitative Health Research, 11(6), 721–722.
40.
Owen, S. (2001). The practical, methodological and ethical dilemmas of conducting focus groups with vulnerable clients. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 36(5), 652–658.
41.
Rogler, L. H. (1989). The meaning of culturally sensitive research in mental health. American Journal of Psychiatry, 146, 296–303.
42.
Sandelowski, M. (1986). The problem of rigor in qualitative research. Advances in Nursing, 8(3), 27–37.
43.
Shahnavaz, S., & Ekblad, S. (2002). Health related psychosocial problems and resources among asylum-seeking children in schools. Focus group interviews with school nurses about their experiences, methods for health screening and daily work (in Swedish). Institutet för Psykosocial Medicin (IPM), Avdelningen för stressforskning, Karolinska Institutet, WHO:s Psykosociala Center, Stockholm. Stressforskningsrapport nr 307.
44.
Sim, J. (1998). Collecting and analysing qualitative data: Issues raised by the focus group. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 28,345–352.
45.
Strauss, A. , & Corbin, J. (1990). Basics of qualitative research. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
46.
Sulaiman, S. O. Y. , Bughra, D., & De Silva, P. (2001). The development of a culturally sensitive symptom checklist for depression in Dubai. Transcultural Psychiatry, 38(2), 201–218.
47.
Tillgren, P. (1999). Fokusgrupper – en metod med stor relevans och till‰mpbarhet inom folkh‰lsovetenskaplig forskning. [Focus groups – A method with great relevance and applicability within public health research.] Socialmedicinsk tidskrift temanummer Fokusgrupper i forskning och utvecklingsarbete, 4, 310–311.
48.
Watters, C. (2001). Emerging paradigms in the mental health care of refugees. Social Science and Medicine, 52,1709–1718.
49.
Yelland, J. , & Gifford, S. M. (1995). Problems of focus group methods in crosscultural research: A case study of beliefs about sudden infant death syndrome. Australian Journal of Public Health, 19, 257–262.
