Skip to main content

Qualitative Research in Couple and Family Therapy

  • Living reference work entry
  • First Online:
  • 242 Accesses

Name of Concept

Qualitative research

Introduction

Qualitative research refers to a broad range of empirical methodology designed to describe and interpret human experiences by examining the reported experiences of the group being studied. Denzin and Lincoln (2000) claims: “qualitative researchers study things in their natural settings, attempting to make sense of, or to interpret, phenomena in terms of the meanings people bring to them” (p. 3). Qualitative approaches are utilized for many purposes, including but not limited to theory and model building, hypothesis testing, concept development, explaining social processes, building descriptions of lived experiences, developing typologies, surveys, assessment instruments, and evaluation measures. Sprenkle (2012) emphasized the value of qualitative investigation for studying family interactions and the process of family therapy. Qualitative research has been demonstrated in numerous research studies to be a natural fit with family...

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution.

References

  • Almqvist, C., & Hwang, S. (1999). Iranian refugees in Sweden: Coping processes in children and their families. Childhood: A Global Journal of Child Research, 6, 167–188.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Anderson, H., & Goolishian, H. A. (1988). Human systems as linguistic systems: Preliminary and evolving ideas about the implications for clinical theory. Family Process, 27, 371–393.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Barton, J., & Haslett, T. (2007). Analysis, synthesis, systems thinking and the scientific method: Rediscovering the importance of open systems. Systems Research and Behavioral Science, 24(2), 143–155.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bateson, G. (1972). Steps to an ecology of mind: Collected essays in anthropology, psychiatry, evolution, and epistemology. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Beitin, B. K. (2008). Qualitative research in marriage and family therapy: Who is in the interview? Contemporary Family Therapy, 30(1), 48–58.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Denzin, N. K. & Lincoln, Y. S. (2000). Introduction: The discipline and practice of qualitative research. In N. K. Denzin & Y. S. Lincoln (Eds.), The Sage handbook of qualitative research (2nd ed., pp. 1–28). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

    Google Scholar 

  • Echevarria-Doan, S., & Tubbs, C. Y. (2005). Let’s get grounded. In D. H. Sprenkle & F. P. Piercy (Eds.), Research methods in family therapy (2nd ed., pp. 41–84). New York: The Guilford Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Faulkner, R. A., Klock, K., & Gale, J. (2002). Qualitative research in family therapy: Publication trends from 1980 to 1999. Journal of Marital and Family Therapy, 28(1), 69–74.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Gale, J., & Dolbin-MacNab, M. L. (2014). Qualitative research for family therapy. In R. B. Miller & L. N. Johnson (Eds.), Advanced methods in family therapy research: A focus on validity and change (pp. 247–265). New York: Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gehart, D. R., Ratliff, D. A., & Lyle, R. R. (2001). Qualitative research in family therapy: A substantive and methodological review. Journal of Marital and Family Therapy, 27(2), 261–274.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Gilgun, J. F. (2005). Qualitative research and family psychology. Journal of Family Psychology, 19(1), 40.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Glaser, B., & Strauss, A. (1967). Applying grounded theory. In The discovery of grounded theory: Strategies of qualitative research. Hawthorne: Aldine Publishing Company.

    Google Scholar 

  • Guba, E. G., & Lincoln, Y. S. (1994). Competing paradigms in qualitative research. In N. K. Denzin & Y. S. Lincoln (Eds.), Handbook of qualitative research. London: Sage.

    Google Scholar 

  • Haene, L. (2010). Beyond division: Convergences between postmodern qualitative research and family therapy. Journal of Marital and Family Therapy, 36(1), 1–12.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Harris, M. (1968). The rise of anthropological theory. New York: Crowell.

    Google Scholar 

  • Husserl, E. (1982). Cartesian meditations: An introduction to phenomenology. The Hague: Martinus Nijhoff.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lawrence, V., Murray, J., Ffytche, D., & Banerjee, S. (2009). Out of sight, out of mind: A qualitative study of visual impairment and dementia from three perspectives. International Psychogeriatrics, 21, 511–518.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Mennenga, K., & Johnson, L. (2014). Single case research with couples and families. In R. B. Miller & L. N. Johnson (Eds.), Advanced methods in family therapy research: A focus on validity and change (pp. 196–207). New York: Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • Piercy, F. P., & Benson, K. (2005). Aesthetic forms of data representation in qualitative family therapy research. Journal of Marital and Family Therapy, 31, 107–119.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Patton, M. (2002). Qualitative research & evaluation methods (3rd ed.). Thousand Oaks: Sage.

    Google Scholar 

  • Schwandt, T. A. (2001). Dictionary of qualitative inquiry (2nd ed.). Thousand Oaks: Sage.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sprenkle, D. H. (2012). Intervention research in couple and family therapy: A methodological and substantive review and an introduction to the special issue. Journal of Marital and Family Therapy, 38(1), 3–29.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Van Parys, H., & Rober, P. (2013). Trying to comfort the parent: A qualitative study of children dealing with parental depression. Journal of Marital and Family Therapy, 39, 330–345.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Ben K. Beitin .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

Section Editor information

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2017 Springer International Publishing AG

About this entry

Cite this entry

Beitin, B.K. (2017). Qualitative Research in Couple and Family Therapy. In: Lebow, J., Chambers, A., Breunlin, D. (eds) Encyclopedia of Couple and Family Therapy. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-15877-8_409-1

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-15877-8_409-1

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-15877-8

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-15877-8

  • eBook Packages: Springer Reference Behavioral Science and PsychologyReference Module Humanities and Social SciencesReference Module Business, Economics and Social Sciences

Publish with us

Policies and ethics