Critical realism: a philosophical framework for the study of gender and mental health

Bergin, Michael; Wells, John; Owen, Sara

doi:10.1111/j.1466-769x.2008.00358.x

Cited by 50 publications

(62 citation statements)

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“…accounts combining fact and 'fiction' as people retrospectively reconstruct events. In taking this approach we were informed by critical realism, which uses a critical stance to 'factual truth' while maintaining that a reality exists; as such it challenges both constructionism and positivism (Bhaskar, 1989;Bergin et al, 2008).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

What parents say about disclosing the end of their pregnancy due to fetal abnormality

2013

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

What parents say about disclosing the end of their pregnancy due to fetal abnormality

2013

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“…The first premise is that there is a ''mind-independent reality,'' which stands in contrast to many forms of social constructionist thinking. As Bergin et al (2008) emphasize, realism distinguishes between the intransitive nature of reality and the transitive nature of our knowledge of it (p. 173). Although there are differences among realists on how independent of human thinking and language this reality may be (Mäntysaari 2005), this premise seems to me to be important in many aspects of professional practice, including research.…”

Section: Realismmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…As Bergin et al (2008) put it for issues of gender and mental health in the field of nursing, ''critical realism… allows coexistence for 'sex' [biological] and 'gender'[social] within mental health related research and practice'' (p. 177). Examples of important recent work that examines but also questions a biological or embodied basis for gender and sexuality can be found in Fausto-Sterling's famous study of what intersex phenomena tell us about what is wrong with our binary system of gender classification (2000) or Jordan-Young's (2010) critique of the brain organization hypothesis about how sex and gender develop.…”

Section: Realismmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Bhaskar and his followers (e.g., Sayers) in particular are concerned with the emancipatory potential of science (Bergin et al 2008), which is, of course, not always achieved. The early empiricists also hoped for this outcome (see quotation above), gender and race-based analysis of the processes and outcomes of knowledge development were not included by definition in their thinking.…”

Section: Realismmentioning

confidence: 99%

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From Scientism to Science: How Contemporary Epistemology Can Inform Practice Research

Anastas

2012

Clin Soc Work J

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Fifty years ago, social work understood research as depicted by logical positivism and its successors, and an obsolete scientism still held sway. This paper will briefly trace the history of the epistemological debate that has taken place in social work in the last 30 years, which is directly related to the credibility of agency-based research and of qualitative methods as well as to issues in knowledge development about oppressed groups. Contemporary epistemologies-realism and pragmatism-offer frameworks that are compatible with what is needed for practice-relevant research and knowledge development: firm grounding for methodological pluralism, attention to the social and political nature of science, the embrace of theory, and an end to scientism without resort to relativism. If these changes in epistemological thinking can be fully embraced, the twentyfirst century can be a very productive one for agency-based and practice-relevant social work research.Keywords Social work research Á Epistemology Á Realism Á Pragmatism Á Critical theory Á Practice research Fifty years ago, social work and the social sciences understood research as depicted by logical positivism and its successors. In 1960, what Heinemann (Pieper) (1981 called an obsolete scientism still held sway, discrediting both practice-based research and analytically-informed practice. Since then, social work has grown in the sophistication of its thinking about epistemology, which can legitimate practice-relevant research methods and models for the future. However, greater knowledge of contemporary epistemologies will be needed to strengthen practicerelevant research in the years to come. This paper will briefly trace the history of the epistemological debate that has taken place in social work in the last 30 years, which is important for the credibility of agency-based research and of qualitative methods as well as to issues in knowledge development about oppressed groups. It will outline two contemporary epistemologiesrealism and pragmatism-that can inform and support a range of research methods and innovative approaches to practice-relevant research. Influences from social constructionism and from feminist and post-colonialist analyses will also be briefly discussed since they have influenced contemporary thinking in both realism and pragmatism.To position myself in this task, I am not formally educated in philosophy or epistemology. However as a teacher and practitioner of social work research, I encountered problems with the dominant view of science and research, and I was fortunate to have had a doctoral education that introduced me to epistemological thinking. Feminist critiques of knowledge development were also influential. The views I have developed on these matters come from reading in the field over many years, but they do not do justice to the precise and important debates that take place among philosophers of science. My goal instead is to present the broad outlines of two kinds of current epistemological thinking. However, no reader should ...

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“…Applying a materialist-discursive-intrapsychic approach (Ussher, 1997;Yardley, 1997;Stoppard, 1997) requires a deeper examination of factors that include embodiment, physical spaces and institutional structures, and is particularly applicable in the exploration of the experiences of pregnancy and psychological distress, combining the material reality of the physical body and the multiple interpretations that women apply in the understanding of their psychological reality (Bergin, Wells, & Owen, 2008).…”

Section: Frameworkmentioning

confidence: 99%

“I am the worst pregnant woman ever”: A mixed-method study of the nature of psychological distress during pregnancy

Staneva¹

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Pregnancy constitutes a major life event that confronts women with unique physical, social, economic and psychological adjustments. Epidemiological evidence suggests that the prevalence and severity of most common mental health disorders (such as depressive and anxiety disorders) during pregnancy are not different from those in the population of non-pregnant women. However, the mental health state of pregnant women has received considerable clinical and scientific attention because of its suggested influence on the pregnancy outcome, the baby, and the future child. There is emerging evidence that experiencing antenatal distress may lead to suboptimal birth, adverse birth outcome, This thesis begins with an outline of the research problem and sets the scene by providing the theoretical and methodological assumptions that underlie the design and the conduct of this thesis. In introducing this work, I argue that it is important to draw from a mixed-methodology scholarship grounded in feminism and critical realism to ensure a multi-faceted understanding of such complex phenomena as pregnancy and distress. I then position my research within a background of the existing literature, and pinpoint the gaps which this thesis aims to address. Starting with an epidemiological systematic review, I explore the link between antenatal distress and preterm birth, followed by a meta-synthesis of the qualitative literature that has examined the experience of antenatal distress. First, Isuggest that direct causal relationships between antenatal distress and adverse birth outcomes cannot be established in a conclusive way, and secondly I argue that such assumptions can be problematic for women as the experiences of antenatal distress involve a complex journey. I then suggest that pregnancy distress entails a process similar to that of iii grief and loss as a result of women's inability to situate their experience within the good and perfect mother discourse.The empirical section of this thesis draws on data I collected both via an online survey and through interviews and is presented in three consecutive studies. The online survey, which was completed by over 290 eligible pregnant women from Australia and New Zealand, consisted of various psychosocial questionnaires administered at three time points (twice during pregnancy and once after birth). This longitudinal data formed the basis for the first empirical study which explored the psychosocial predictors of antenatal distress. In this study I conclude that it is a woman's overall sense of coherence that predetermines her distress during pregnancy. In order to advance the understanding of the meanings that women ascribed to their experience, and how these affected their 'at odds' perceptions of motherhood, I then present the findings from a qualitative study with 18Australian women who reported pregnancy distress. Together, these studies point to the need to develop a more general framework for understanding antenatal distress allowing for factors such as global sense of fi...

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Critical realism: a philosophical framework for the study of gender and mental health

Cited by 50 publications

References 45 publications

What parents say about disclosing the end of their pregnancy due to fetal abnormality

What parents say about disclosing the end of their pregnancy due to fetal abnormality

From Scientism to Science: How Contemporary Epistemology Can Inform Practice Research

“I am the worst pregnant woman ever”: A mixed-method study of the nature of psychological distress during pregnancy

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