Perspectives and Experiences of Healthcare Professionals on Mental Health Services for Ethnic Minority Groups

Perspectives and Experiences of Healthcare Professionals on Mental Health Services for Ethnic Minority Groups

State the Problem

The problem is the perspectives and experiences of healthcare professionals regarding mental healthcare services among ethnic minority groups have been underexplored, resulting in poor mental healthcare utilization (Gelaye & Andualem, 2022). Mental healthcare professionals are integral to high-quality mental healthcare. Their perspectives and experiences on mental healthcare inform quality improvement fronts in mental healthcare. In resource-limited settings, experiences of healthcare professionals handling mental health illnesses can give insights into society level and individual factors influencing their mental healthcare-seeking behavior (Mekonen et al., 2022). Likewise, exploration of the perspectives and experiences of healthcare professionals can result in the identification of caregiver-related factors interplaying in the development of mental health illnesses such as stigma. Addressing the identified factors can help in improving the quality of mental healthcare among ethnic minority groups. This underpins the need for this qualitative research.

Purpose of the Study

The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study design is to understand and describe the perspectives and experiences of healthcare professionals regarding mental healthcare services among ethnic minority groups. The subject of the study is healthcare professionals from Harris County, TX. The study will recruit healthcare professionals from different cadres. Harris County is a mixed-demographic jurisdictional area with a high concentration of ethnic minority groups. Likewise, the region has multiple healthcare organizations, encompassing clinics, hospitals, and nursing homes. The research participants will be interviewed using semi-structured interviews, investigating their perspectives and experiences regarding mental healthcare among ethnic minority groups.

Research Questions Research Question 

• What are your experiences handling ethnic minority groups with mental healthcare illnesses?
• What are your perspectives on the state of mental healthcare and mental health utilization among ethnic minority groups?

Review and Analyze Your Alignment

The identified problem in the qualitative study under scrutiny is that the perspective and experiences of mental healthcare professionals handling ethnic minority groups are underexplored, resulting in poor mental healthcare utilization. The problem recognizes the significance of exploring caregivers’ perspectives in improvement measures towards mental health utilization and emphasizes the need to understand caregivers’ experiences and perspectives on mental healthcare. Underexploration of caregivers’ experiences and perspectives on mental healthcare may result in poor utilization of mental healthcare resources and mental healthcare behavior. This is because mental healthcare providers are better positioned to understand individual factors and society-level factors that interplay in poor utilization of mental healthcare. They can also influence the mental healthcare-seeking behavior of the communities they serve (Gelaye & Andualem, 2022). Research studies exploring caregivers’ experiences and perspectives on mental healthcare among ethnic minority groups are thus warranted.

The purpose of the qualitative phenomenological study is to understand and describe the perspectives and experiences of healthcare professionals regarding mental healthcare services among ethnic minority groups. The purpose statement is aligned with the problem statement. The purpose statement delineates the thematic areas portrayed in the problem statement. These are caregivers’ experiences and perspectives on mental healthcare. The purpose statement, in this respect, expands on the themes identified in the problem statement and presents a strategic framework for understanding them. The purpose statement also preserves the population groups presented in the problem statement. The research participants, in this case, are healthcare professionals handling mental health illnesses. The research study will investigate their perspectives and experiences regarding mental healthcare to gain insights into factors contributing to poor access to mental healthcare.

The purpose statement also maintains the target population group identified in the problem statement. Ethnic minority group was the population of interest in the identified healthcare concern. The purpose statement borrows from the problem statement by focusing on a community that predominantly consists of ethnic minority groups. As evident in the purpose statement, the study will be conducted in Harris County, TX. The Northern and Southern parts of the county consist mainly of ethnic minority groups, with Hispanics and Blacks being the majority. By basing the study on this population group and community, the chances of encountering healthcare professionals having experience handling ethnic minority groups remain high.

The purpose statement also utilizes a data collection method that is aligned with the thematic areas identified in the problem statement. Interviews are data collection tools suitable for investigating population experiences and perspectives (DEWI, 2022). Semi-structured interviews allow the researcher to have an in-depth understanding of the perspectives, beliefs, and feelings of the respondent. Semi-structured interviews and questionnaires also provide a valuable guide for researchers to ask questions centered on the thematic areas under scrutiny (Busetto et al., 2020). This allows for a more elaborate interrogation of the topic under scrutiny. In this research, semi-structured interviews will enable the researcher to have a better understanding of the perspectives and experiences of healthcare professionals handling patients with mental health illnesses from ethnic minority groups.

The research questions are also aligned with the purpose and problem statements. The first research question is what the experiences of caregivers handling patients with mental health illnesses from ethnic minority groups are. This research question is aligned with the problem statement. It extrapolates the thematic area of caregivers’ experiences when handling patients with mental health illnesses from ethnic minority groups identified in the problem statement. By interrogating caregivers’ experiences when handling patients with mental health illnesses from ethnic minority groups, the question enhances the understanding of the researcher on community and individual-level factors resulting in poor access to mental healthcare.

The research question is also aligned with the purpose statement. The qualitative study seeks to understand the experiences of healthcare professionals regarding mental healthcare services among ethnic minority groups. The research question provides a platform for the researcher to understand caregivers’ experiences regarding mental healthcare. By answering the research question, the researcher will have an elaborate understanding of what caregivers experience when handling ethnic minorities with mental health illnesses.

The second research question is what the perspectives of healthcare professionals involved in mental healthcare were regarding mental healthcare services among ethnic minority groups. This research question aligns with the problem statement. It is based on the thematic area of underexplored perspectives of caregivers on mental health illnesses and mental healthcare resource utilization. By interrogating caregivers’ perspectives on mental healthcare, the researcher will better understand caregivers’ views on mental healthcare resource utilization, informing potential address measures (Bwanika et al., 2022).

The research question also aligns with the purpose statement. The researcher seeks to understand and describe the caregivers’ perspectives of caregivers regarding mental healthcare services among ethnic minority groups. By answering the research question, the researcher’s understanding of mental health resource utilization among ethnic minorities will improve. This may allow the researcher to formulate potential solutions to poor access to mental healthcare.

The outlined problems and purpose statement and the research questions are aligned. The thematic areas identified in the problem statement informed the formulation of the purpose statement and the research questions. The researcher will obtain a wider understanding of the identified themes by answering the questions.

References

Busetto, L., Wick, W., & Gumbinger, C. (2020). How to use and assess qualitative research methods. Neurological Research and Practice, 2(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s42466-020-00059-z

Bwanika, J. M., Hawkins, C., Kamulegeya, L., Onyutta, P., Musinguzi, D., Kusasira, A., Musoke, E. K., & Kabeega, J. (2022). Qualitative study of mental health attribution, perceptions and care-seeking in Kampala, Uganda. South African Journal of Psychiatry, 28. https://doi.org/10.4102/sajpsychiatry.v28i0.1690

DEWI, I. G. (2022). Understanding data collection methods in qualitative research: The perspective of Interpretive Accounting Research. Journal of Tourism Economics and Policy, 1(1), 23–34. https://doi.org/10.38142/jtep.v1i1.105

Gelaye, H., & Andualem, A. (2022). Quality of life and associated factors among family caregivers of individuals with psychiatric illness at DRH, South Wollo, Ethiopia, 2020. Scientific Reports, 12(1). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-022-22015-4

Mekonen, T., Chan, G. C., Belete, T., Menberu, M., Davidson, L., Hides, L., & Leung, J. (2022). Mental health service utilization in a low resource setting: A qualitative study on perspectives of health professionals in northwest Ethiopia. PLOS ONE, 17(11). https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0278106

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This week you will begin to develop your qualitative mock study. For this assignment, you will state the problem and purpose of your study, write a research question(s) and sub-questions (if applicable), and review and analyze your alignment of these components.

Complete each section below.

Perspectives and Experiences of Healthcare Professionals

State the Problem

State the problem, including the consequence(s) of the problem. Remember: Without a consequence, you don’t have a problem; you have a situation. Write your problem on a new line below.

Example: The problem is [state the problem], resulting in [state the consequence]. Note: Be sure to provide an APA formatted citation for this problem and reference(s) in the appropriate section at the end of this document.

Purpose of the Study

The purpose statement describes the goal of the study and includes the following elements: the purpose of the study, the subjects/population who will participate in the study, the geographic location of the study, and the research methodology used in the study. Write your purpose statement on a new line below.

Example: The purpose of this qualitative [research design] study is to [state the purpose of your study].

Research Questions Research Question

The research questions are overarching questions that will guide your qualitative study. Sometimes researchers incorporate a single central research question, while other times, multiple research questions are used. If a single research question is used, at least two research sub-questions should also be included. See the CDS Dissertation Guide and Alignment Handbook in CDS Central for some additional information and examples. Write your research questions on a new line below.

Examples of how research questions could begin:

• How…?
• ..?
• In what ways…?
• ..?

Review and Analyze your Alignment

Now review your problem, purpose, and research question(s). Be sure that you have used proper qualitative word choices (as discussed in previous weeks). Briefly explain how your problem, purpose, and research question(s) align. Write your response on a new line below.

References

<Cite references according to APA format here.>