Child and Adolescent Services Research Center, Rady Children's Hospital, San Diego, CA, USA.
Psychiatr Serv. 2011 Mar;62(3):255-63. doi: 10.1176/ps.62.3.pss6203_0255.
Despite increased calls for use of mixed-methods designs in mental health services research, how and why such methods are being used and whether there are any consistent patterns that might indicate a consensus about how such methods can and should be used are unclear.
Use of mixed methods was examined in 50 peer-reviewed journal articles found by searching PubMed Central and 60 National Institutes of Health (NIH)-funded projects found by searching the CRISP database over five years (2005-2009). Studies were coded for aims and the rationale, structure, function, and process for using mixed methods.
A notable increase was observed in articles published and grants funded over the study period. However, most did not provide an explicit rationale for using mixed methods, and 74% gave priority to use of quantitative methods. Mixed methods were used to accomplish five distinct types of study aims (assess needs for services, examine existing services, develop new or adapt existing services, evaluate services in randomized controlled trials, and examine service implementation), with three categories of rationale, seven structural arrangements based on timing and weighting of methods, five functions of mixed methods, and three ways of linking quantitative and qualitative data. Each study aim was associated with a specific pattern of use of mixed methods, and four common patterns were identified.
These studies offer guidance for continued progress in integrating qualitative and quantitative methods in mental health services research consistent with efforts by NIH and other funding agencies to promote their use.
尽管越来越多的人呼吁在心理健康服务研究中使用混合方法设计，但如何以及为何使用这些方法，以及是否存在任何一致的模式，可以表明人们对如何以及应该使用这些方法达成共识，这些问题仍不清楚。
通过在 PubMed Central 上搜索，我们在五年（2005-2009 年）内找到了 50 篇同行评审期刊文章；通过在 CRISP 数据库中搜索，我们找到了 60 个由美国国立卫生研究院（NIH）资助的项目，以此来检查混合方法的使用情况。对研究的目的以及使用混合方法的基本原理、结构、功能和过程进行了编码。
在研究期间，发表的文章和资助的项目数量显著增加。然而，大多数研究没有明确说明使用混合方法的基本原理，74%的研究优先使用定量方法。混合方法用于完成五种不同类型的研究目标（评估服务需求、检查现有服务、开发新的或调整现有的服务、在随机对照试验中评估服务以及检查服务实施），有三种基本原理类别、七种基于方法时间和权重的结构安排、混合方法的五种功能以及将定量和定性数据联系起来的三种方式。每种研究目标都与混合方法使用的特定模式相关联，并且确定了四种常见模式。
这些研究为在心理健康服务研究中整合定性和定量方法提供了指导，符合 NIH 和其他资助机构促进其使用的努力。
