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Posts tagged ‘Cheryl Beck’

Mar 2

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Modification of a Grounded Theory of Postpartum Depression


Appearing in the current issue of ANS is the article titled “Teetering on the Edge:
A Third Grounded Theory Modification of Postpartum Depression” authored by Cheryl Tatano Beck, DNSc, CNM, FAAN. Dr. Beck is widely known for her long research career that explores the challenges of postpartum depression using a variey of research methods and exploring conceptualizations and experiences in different cultural contexts. Her article is available to download at no cost while it is featured, and we welcome your comments here! Dr. Beck shared this message about her work for ANS readers:

Over 2 decades ago Glaser (2001) alerted grounded theorists that once their substantive theory was completed, their work should not end there. Glaser stressed that modification never stops for a grounded theory. A Glaserian grounded theory should be continually modified by constant comparison of new literature that has been published or new data the grounded theorist had collected. By continually modifying a grounded theory, the researcher can produce a theory with a higher level of theoretical completeness. Researchers can increase the scope of their grounded theory by choosing which groups to use for comparison.

My original grounded theory study of postpartum depression, Teetering on the Edge, was published in 1993. The photo I included in this blog is one of me interviewing a mother of twins regarding her experien:ces of postpartum depression. The sample for the original study included all Caucasian women. For 30 years I have been modifying my grounded theory to increase its transferability to other ethnic groups of women at risk for developing postpartum depression. Another reason for modifying Teetering on the Edge a third time was for educational purposes. I teach qualitative research methods to PhD students in nursing and other disciplines at the University of Connecticut. When it’s time in the semester to cover classic Glaserian grounded theory methods, I search databases for examples of modified grounded theories to share with my students but do not have much luck. More modified grounded theories need to be conducted and published to help educate our PhD students and qualitative researchers about this valuable option.

Aug 19

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Improving Mixed-methods Research in Nursing


The current featured article is titled “Mixed-Methods Research in the Discipline of Nursing” by Cheryl Tatano Beck, DNSc, CNM, FAAN and Lisa Harrison, MSN, PMHNP. We invite you to download this article while it is featured and return here to share your comments, questions and ideas for discussion.  Dr. Beck shared this background about her experiences with mixed methods:

This article was the culmination of a years’ worth of work that Lisa Harrison and I did. Lisa is a PhD student in

Cheryl Beck

Cheryl Beck

nursing at the University of Connecticut. She was assigned to me as a graduate assistant and for her assistance ship that year. Lisa worked with me on this review of mixed methods research in the discipline of nursing. Two years ago I presented one of my mixed methods studies in Boston at the Mixed Methods International Research Association’s inaugural research conference. At that conference there

were reports of the state of the science of mixed methods research in some disciplines but none focused on nursing. It was at that conference that I got the idea to conduct this focused review of mixed methods research in the discipline of nursing.

I began my interest in mixed methods research in earnest when about 6 years ago faculty at the University of Connecticut’s School of Nursing voted to add a mixed methods research design course to our core PhD curriculum. I was asked to teach this inaugural course and the rest is history. I have been teaching it every year since then. I have included in this blog a photo of my most recent mixed methods research class (spring 2016) when we

Lisa Harrison

Lisa Harrison

all went out for breakfast to celebrate the last day of class. Our PhD students are getting excited about the possibilities of mixed methods research. This past year we had 2 PhD students graduate who had conducted mixed methods dissertations.

I have conducted 4 mixed methods studies to date. Two have focused on secondary traumatic stress. One of these studies was with labor and delivery nurses and the other study was with certified nurse-midwives. Currently I have 2 other mixed methods studies in press. Both studies examined vicarious posttraumatic growth in obstetrical clinicians due to the struggles with caring for women during traumatic births.

We hope that our article published here in ANS will spark interest in students and faculty to conduct mixed methods research studies. This type of research can be the best of both worlds.

Front L toR: Lisa Sundean, Semin Park (PhD student in Business), and Wanli Xu. Back L to R: Cheryl Beck, Lucinda Canty, Lisa Nemchek, Nayomi Dawes.

Front L toR: Lisa Sundean, Semin Park (PhD student in Business), and Wanli Xu. Back L to R: Cheryl Beck, Lucinda Canty, Lisa Nemchek, Nayomi Dawes.

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