Although the complexity of undertaking qualitative research with non-English speaking informants has become increasingly recognized, few empirical studies exist which explore the influence of translation on the findings of the study. The aim of this exploratory study was therefore to examine the influence of translation on the reliability and validity of the findings of a qualitative research study. In-depth interviews were undertaken in Cantonese with a convenience sample of six women to explore their perceptions of factors influencing their uptake of Pap smears. Data analysis involved three stages. The first stage involved the translation and transcription of all the interviews into English independently by two translators as well as transcription into Chinese by a third researcher. The second stage involved content analysis of the three data sets to develop categories and themes and the third stage involved a comparison of the categories and themes generated from the Chinese and English data sets. Despite no significant differences in the major categories generated from the Chinese and English data, some minor differences were identified in the themes generated from the data. More significantly the results of the study demonstrated some important issues to consider when using translation in qualitative research, in particular the complexity of managing data when no equivalent word exists in the target language and the influence of the grammatical style on the analysis. In addition the findings raise questions about the significance of the conceptual framework of the research design and sampling to the validity of the study. The importance of using only one translator to maximize the reliability of the study was also demonstrated. In addition the author suggests the findings demonstrate particular problems in using translation in phenomenological research designs.
Although there has been a significant increase in the use of focus groups as a qualitative method of data collection in health and nursing research, literature on the use of this method with Chinese populations is limited. This study was therefore undertaken to explore the contribution of focus groups as a method of data collection amongst Hong Kong Chinese women. The study involved the comparison of the data obtained from two concurrent research studies which both employed case study design and focus groups as a major method of data collection. In both studies the samples involved Chinese women. The findings demonstrate that factors such as recruitment to the groups and interaction of group members did not adversely affect the quality of the data. Indeed the depth of data obtained on a range of sensitive topics suggests that the use of focus groups provides an effective method of collecting qualitative data with the Chinese populations in the described studies. However, a particular issue to emerge from this method of collection relates to the complexity of transcription and translation of the Chinese data which in the author's view has implications for the quality of the data. This finding indicates the importance of undertaking data analysis in the language of the interview, rather than that of the translated data, to avoid compromising the quality of data obtained from non-English speaking populations.
Background: Apart from promoting physical recovery and assisting in activities of daily living, a major challenge in stroke rehabilitation is to minimize psychosocial morbidity and to promote the reintegration of stroke survivors into their family and community. The identification of key factors influencing long-term outcome are essential in developing more effective rehabilitation measures for reducing stroke-related morbidity. The aim of this study was to test a theoretical model of predictors of participation restriction which included the direct and indirect effects between psychosocial outcomes, physical outcome, and socio-demographic variables at 12 months after stroke.
Stoma patients are vulnerable to poor psychosocial health outcomes owing to the loss of an important bodily function and the distortion of their self-image. We used a cross-sectional, descriptive, and correlational design to investigate the relationship between self-efficacy and quality of life of stoma patients in Hong Kong and to examine the association between self-efficacy and stoma patients' sociodemographic characteristics. Using a convenience sampling method, 96 patients (mean age, 64 years) were recruited from 2 acute hospitals. Significant correlations were found between the Chinese Stoma Self-efficacy Scale and the Chinese Short-Form Health Survey 36 subscale scores (from r = 0.21, P = .039, to r = 0.59, P < .001). Significant positive correlations were also found between the 2 Chinese Stoma Self-efficacy subscales and all 8 of the Chinese Short-Form Health Survey 36 subscales. The results indicated that the self-efficacy and quality of life of stoma patients were correlated. Based on this study's results, self-efficacy is an important factor to consider in the provision of care to stoma patients. Specific interventions to enhance self-efficacy also need to be evaluated for their impact on the quality of life of stoma patients.
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