1 University of Tasmania, Launceston, Tasmania, Australia.
2 Charles Darwin University, Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia.
Qual Health Res. 2018 May;28(6):927-938. doi: 10.1177/1049732318758645. Epub 2018 Feb 22.
For people living with schizophrenia, their experience is personal and culturally bound. Focused ethnography enables researchers to understand people's experiences in-context, a prerequisite to providing person-centered care. Data are gathered through observational fieldwork and in-depth interviews with cultural informants. Regardless of the culture, ethnographic research involves resolving issues of language, communication, and meaning. This article discusses the challenges faced by a bilingual, primary mental health nurse researcher when investigating the experiences of people living with schizophrenia in Zimbabwe. Bilingual understanding influenced the research questions, translation of a validated survey instrument and interview transcripts, analysis of the nuances of dialect and local idioms, and confirmation of cultural understanding. When the researcher is a bilingual cultural insider, the insights gained can be more nuanced and culturally enriched. In cross-language research, translation issues are especially challenging when it involves people with a mental illness and requires researcher experience, ethical sensitivity, and cultural awareness.
对于患有精神分裂症的人来说，他们的体验是个人化的，且受到文化的限制。集中的民族志研究使研究人员能够在背景下理解人们的体验，这是提供以患者为中心的护理的前提。数据通过观察性实地调查和对文化知情者的深入访谈收集。无论文化如何，民族志研究都涉及解决语言、沟通和意义的问题。本文讨论了一位双语、初级精神卫生护士研究员在调查津巴布韦精神分裂症患者体验时所面临的挑战。双语理解影响了研究问题、验证调查工具和访谈记录的翻译、方言和本地习语细微差别的分析以及文化理解的确认。当研究人员是双语文化内行人时，所获得的见解可能更加微妙和丰富。在跨语言研究中，当涉及到患有精神疾病的人时，翻译问题尤其具有挑战性，这需要研究人员具备经验、伦理敏感性和文化意识。
