Mixed methods research has been increasingly recognized as a useful approach for describing and explaining complex issues in palliative care and end-of-life research. However, little is known about the use of this methodology in the field and the ways in which mixed methods studies have been reported. The purpose of this methodological review was to examine the characteristics, methodological features and reporting quality of mixed methods articles published in palliative care research. The authors screened all articles published in eight journals specialized in palliative care between January 2014 and April 2019. Those that reported a mixed methods study (n = 159) were included. The Good Reporting of a Mixed Methods Study (GRAMMS) criteria were used to assess reporting quality. Findings showed that 57.9% of the identified studies used a convergent design and 82.4% mentioned complementarity as their main purpose for using a mixed methods approach. The reporting quality of the articles generally showed a need for improvement as authors usually did not describe the type of mixed methods design used and provided little detail on the integration of quantitative and qualitative methods. Based on the findings, recommendations are made to improve the quality of reporting of mixed methods articles in palliative care.

Although integration is a crucial element of mixed methods research (MMR), most MMR quality frameworks have not comprehensively addressed integration in their criteria. These frameworks tend to focus on whether integration is present, without considering important aspects such as the rigor of the integration processes used or their consistency with the other components of the MMR study. This paper presents the Mixed Methods Integration Quality Framework (MMIQF), which was developed based on a methodological review of the literature on integration in MMR. The proposed framework is intended to be useful to authors and readers of MMR studies who wish to ensure and appraise the appropriate implementation of integration in the design, conduct, and reporting of MMR studies.

The parent-child relationship is a cornerstone of early childhood development and one-way early childhood programs can have a positive influence on early development is to adopt programmatic features to enhance this relationship. Research supports these conclusions in both U.S. and cross-cultural contexts, even though assumptions about parenting and the parent-child relationship may differ across cultures. However, for true understanding of cultural differences, it is important to have comparable measures across cultures. The purpose of the study is to assess measurement invariance of the two constructs of the Child-parent Relationship Scale using data gathered in programs serving low-income preschool children in the U.S.(n = 4,450) and Turkey (n = 592) from 2014 to 2015. Using Single-group Confirmatory Factor Analysis, the original factor structures of the Turkish and the English versions were tested. Besides, Multigroup Confirmatory Factor Analysis provided evidence for configural, metric, scalar invariance, strict factorial invariance or error variance invariance and construct level invariance across the two versions. Only configural invariance was established, which showed an agreement for the existence of an underlying theoretical construct for each subscale (Conflict and Closeness) of the Turkish and the English versions. However, item CPRS 4 was a non-significant item for Conflict in the Turkish version that affected the possibility to conduct further analyses. Findings encourage researchers to propose and assess cultural and linguistic adaptations for the Child-parent Relationship Scale before cross-cultural comparisons related to family relationships.

Child and adolescent sexual abuse (CSA) is an important global health problem, especially in non-Western low- and middle-income countries. A number of studies have indicated that, in Latin American countries, male CSA is phenomenon of great concern. However, research on this topic is seriously lacking, and more specifically, on male-on-male CSA. We carried out a qualitative and quantitative secondary analysis of 680 cases of alleged male-on-male CSA that occurred between the years 2017 and 2018 in the Caribbean Region of Colombia. We analyzed the contents of forensic interviews with the alleged victims, conducted by professionals working at the Colombian Institute of Legal Medicine and Forensic Sciences. Our findings indicated a high prevalence of cases of alleged male-on-male CSA among young minors. Most of these cases were allegedly perpetrated by offenders known to the victim and involved high levels of violence. Evidence-based and culturally grounded preventative actions, such as training-based programs for teachers and parents among other public health initiatives are needed to address this type of CSA. Further research is also required to gain a more fine-grained understanding of the cultural and social context of CSA in the Caribbean Latin American countries.

Understanding participants’ perspectives in qualitative research is contingent on unravelling the essential meaning of their speech. When data are collected in native language and translated into English language, the underlying sociocultural meaning of participants’ speech can be missed. This paper discusses a new contextual coding approach and illustrates its application in research. The technique was used in a phenomenological study in Pakistan and a mixed methods study in Europe. Contextual coding entails a preliminary coding stage involving data reading in native language, choosing socially and culturally relevant words and phrases, and developing preliminary codes. The concluding coding stage focuses on creating a sociocultural query list, seeking answers through discussions among multilingual individuals, and finding a common language for code description. Contextual coding can enable researchers to understand sociocultural meaning of their data at an early stage, rather than waiting at the later stage of theme development to contextualize the findings.

Aim: To identify mixed methods studies in nursing and midwifery using secondary analysis and to examine their methodological characteristics.Design: Methodological review.Methods: A systematic search was conducted to identify empirical mixed methods studies in nursing and midwifery that used secondary analysis. A data extraction sheet was developed based on previous methodological reviews of secondary analysis and mixed methods.Data Sources: SCOPUS, Web of Science and CINAHL were searched from inception to March 10, 2023. Supplementary searches were conducted in two methodological journals and six nursing journals.Results: A total of 26 mixed methods studies published between 2000 and 2022 were included in the review. Of these, only 13 studies explicitly mentioned the type of mixed methods design used. Twenty studies showed evidence of integration of the quantitative and qualitative components. Most of these studies integrated the components at the interpretation stage, whereas fewer integrated the components during data collection. None of the studies mentioned the rationale for using secondary analysis in the context of a mixed methods study.Conclusion: The included studies demonstrated fairly good reporting of mixed methods features, although they generally lacked a rationale for the use of secondary data.Implications for the profession and/or patient care: Adequate reporting of mixed methods studies using secondary analysis is essential in order to allow readers to assess whether secondary analysis was appropriately incorporated into a mixed methods study and whether the potential of secondary analysis was fully exploited.Impact: This review provides a set of recommendations to transparently report information regarding the research process and results obtained in mixed methods studies using secondary analysis.Reporting Method: Items relevant to methodological reviews included in the PRISMA Extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA‐ScR) were considered for reporting the review.