Mixed methods intervention studies in children and adolescents with emotional and behavioral disorders: A methodological review

Abstract

Background: Mixed methods intervention studies can improve the accuracy of interventional evaluations in the field of emotional and behavioral disorders by helping researchers gain a more nuanced understanding of how a particular intervention works. However, no studies to date have systematically examined the ways in which this type of studies have been carried out and reported.

Aim: To examine the methodological features and reporting practices found in mixed methods intervention studies in children and adolescents with emotional and behavioral disorders.

Method: Methodological review based on a systematic search from inception to July 2021 in Embase, Medline, PsycINFO, and SCOPUS, and a hand search in seven journals.

Results: We found 30 studies, most of them published since 2019. These studies reported several patterns of mixed methods use which illustrated the unique insights that researchers can gain by using this approach. We identified several ways that authors could more clearly report the justification for using a mixed methods approach, the description of the design used, and the evidence of integration of the quantitative and qualitative components.

Conclusion: We make recommendations for improving the reporting quality of mixed methods intervention studies in the field of emotional and behavioral disorders.

Keywords: Children and adolescents; Emotional and behavioral disorders; Intervention designs; Mixed methods; Reporting quality.