La recherche avec les groupes d'entraide: les difficultés méthodologiques et les défis

Abstract

The objective of this paper is to review the difficulties associated with measuring self-help groups for what they are, and the methodology used. This report identifies issues inherent to research on self-help groups for the elderly. Elderly group participants sharing a common problem and meeting to discuss it without the benefit of professional support will, without doubt, become a more and more prevalent resource for use in the future. Consequently, it is imperative to ascertain which questions the researchers should be asking. Three research objectives are described: descriptive studies, process examination and the assessment of outcomes considered relevant to self-help groups. The discussion addresses three types of objects under study: the group participants, the group itself and the interorganizational ties established by the group, particularly in dealing with health service agencies.

The Canadian Journal of Community Mental Health From 1982 to 2006: A Content Analysis

“…In particular, it is difficult to do follow-up with participants because of their turnover rate during the course of the study. It is also difficult to study these groups in an experimental context (Lavoie & Dufort, 1995). After consultation and self-help, the third least covered area of interest in articles published in CJCMH was advocacy.…”

La Revue Canadienne De Santé Mentale Communautaire De 1982 à 2006: Une Analyse De Contenu

“…Notamment, le suivi des participants et participantes se fait difficilement puisque certains et certaines peuvent partir ou arriver en cours de route. De plus, ces groupes se recréent difficilement en contexte expérimental (Lavoie & Dufort, 1995).…”

Contributions of Canadian community psychology.

“…Moreover, they made recommendations for the process and substance of PAR with mental health self-help organisations. Canadian community psychologists and colleagues from other disciplines have also elaborated on the challenges, core concepts, ethical responsibilities, and skills that are required in conducting PAR (Grant, Nelson, & Mitchell, 2008; Mitchell & Baker, 2005; Lavoie & Dufort, 1995; Nelson, Poland, Murray, & Maticka-Tyndale, 2004) and on the barriers that research ethics boards impose on PAR research in the health field (Flicker, Travers, Guta, McDonald, & Meagher, 2007). Recently, Liegghio, Nelson, and Evans (in press) have suggested the utility of PAR for research with children with mental health problems.…”