TY - JOUR
T1 - Uncovering Family Treatment Decision-Making Processes
T2 - The Value and Application of Case Study Methods to Family Research
AU - Schulz, Ginny L.
AU - Patterson Kelly, Katherine
AU - Armer, Jane
AU - Ganong, Lawrence
N1 - Funding Information:
We would also like to thank the patients and families for their inspiration and participation in this research. The author(s) disclosed receipt of the following financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article: The first author conducted this research while a doctoral candidate at the University of Missouri Sinclair School of Nursing and was supported by the Doctoral Degree Scholarship in Cancer Nursing (127291-DSCN-15-079-01-SCN and 130681-DSCNR-17-090-03-SCN) from the American Cancer Society. This project was also supported by grant number R24HS022140 from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.
Publisher Copyright:
© The Author(s) 2021.
PY - 2021/8
Y1 - 2021/8
N2 - Research on how and why family processes influence phenomena is essential to advancing many areas of science. Case study methods offer an approach that overcomes some of the sampling and analysis obstacles researchers face when studying families. This article aims to illustrate the benefits of case study methods for studying complex family processes using an example from treatment decision-making in sickle cell disease. Using survey, observation, and interview data from various family members within multiple family units, we detail our application of the following analytic strategies: (a) proposition-building, (b) pattern-matching, and (c) cross-case synthesis. Incorporating propositions from a conceptual framework assisted us in study development, data collection, and analysis. Development of graphs and matrices to create thematic family profiles uncovered how and why treatment decision-making occurred as a family process in a pediatric chronic illness. Case study methods are an established, but innovative approach to investigating various phenomena in families.
AB - Research on how and why family processes influence phenomena is essential to advancing many areas of science. Case study methods offer an approach that overcomes some of the sampling and analysis obstacles researchers face when studying families. This article aims to illustrate the benefits of case study methods for studying complex family processes using an example from treatment decision-making in sickle cell disease. Using survey, observation, and interview data from various family members within multiple family units, we detail our application of the following analytic strategies: (a) proposition-building, (b) pattern-matching, and (c) cross-case synthesis. Incorporating propositions from a conceptual framework assisted us in study development, data collection, and analysis. Development of graphs and matrices to create thematic family profiles uncovered how and why treatment decision-making occurred as a family process in a pediatric chronic illness. Case study methods are an established, but innovative approach to investigating various phenomena in families.
KW - decision-making
KW - decisional conflict
KW - family
KW - multiple-case study
KW - sickle cell disease
KW - stem cell transplant
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85100568481&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1177/1074840720987223
DO - 10.1177/1074840720987223
M3 - Article
C2 - 33514265
AN - SCOPUS:85100568481
VL - 27
SP - 191
EP - 198
JO - Journal of Family Nursing
JF - Journal of Family Nursing
SN - 1074-8407
IS - 3
ER -