Mixed Methods Research in Wellbeing and Health

Mixed-Methods Research in Wellbeing and Health brings together nine examples of high-quality research into wellbeing and health using a range of mixed methods. Research that employs mixed methods can yield robust data that is both more reliable and valid than that arising from a single-method approach.

Mixed-methods research is a vital component in responding to recent changes to the more complex needs of an increasingly diverse society and its health sector. This book covers how mixed-methods research can be designed creatively and applied sensitively in the context of wellbeing and health research. The editors have included a set of bespoke questions for reflection at the end of each chapter. The expert editorial commentary highlights the benefits and methodological challenges of mixed-methods research as well as ‘thinking points’ for researchers as they plan and carry out mixed-methods research on wellbeing and health topics. Within a holistic view of wellbeing and health, the mixed-methods research designs are applied appropriately in both practice and community settings. The research can be shaped by pragmatism and the actual needs of a study rather than purely theoretical considerations.

This practical book makes high-quality, mixed-methods research design and execution guidance readily accessible to health-care practitioners and researchers working in the fields of health, social care and wellbeing services and to undergraduate and postgraduate students in courses in research and health-care studies, as well as health management.

Rachel Locke is Senior Lecturer in International Development and Global Health in the Faculty of Health and Wellbeing at the University of Winchester, UK.

Amanda Lees is a Senior Researcher in the Health and Wellbeing Research Group at the University of Winchester, UK.