330.620.81
Qualitative and Quantitative Methods for Mental Health and Psychosocial Research in Low Resource Settings

Prerequisite:

Introduction to Online Learning required. 340.721.60 Epidemiologic Inference in Public Health I or 340.751.01 EPIDEMIOLOGIC METHODS 1 or permission of instructor

Description:

Introduces mental health as an integral part of global health research, including using qualitative and quantitative methods to conduct needs assessments and to monitor and evaluate interventions. Presents and critiques qualitative strategies for integrating local cultural perspectives into research models. Examines qualitative and quantitative methods of adapting psychiatric assessment tools for use cross-culturally and presents challenges for developing interventions for use in low-resource contexts. Encourages use of critical and creative thinking skills throughout to discuss the issues involved in this important area of study.

Learning Objectives:

Upon successfully completing this course, students will be able to:

1. Describe prevalent mental health problems in developing countries and discuss the issues unique to understanding mental health in these contexts
2. Illustrate ways that culture can affect mental health conceptualization, identification and assessment
3. Define and compare methods of cross-cultural assessment of mental health problems
4. Recognize issues and challenges inherent in adapting strategies for prevention programming, intervention development and dissemination in developing countries
5. Describe strengths and usage of different qualitative methods in cross-cultural research

Methods of Assessment:

This course is evaluated as follows:

• 25% Participation
• 60% Written Assignment(s)
• 15% Presentation(s)

Enrollment Restriction:

Course restricted to graduate students only

Instructor Consent:

No consent required