5.2.4 - The use of interviews, to include an example study

Question 1

AO1 on interviews:

x6

Answer 1

• A clinical interview is a face to face situation and a series of questions where there is dialogue between the clinician and patient that is designed to help the clinician diagnose and plan treatment for the patient
• It is often called a conversation with a purpose, the purpose being to gather information about the client which mainly allows the clinician to gain lots of qualitative data that can help with diagnosis
• Clinical interviews can be structured, asking specific questions in order to come up with, or rule out a diagnosis, or unstructured using open questions where there is not set format and questions arise based on pp’s responses eg from information that the patient gives which will be unique to their symptoms.
• In reality a lot of clinical interviews are semi-structured as some set questions eg around the 4Ds or multi axial system if the clinician is using DSM IV
• They may be able to determine if there is more than one illness, comorbidity, and contain standardised questions to ensure each patient is interviewed the same
• Clinical interviews can be used when eg the respondent may need reassurance or when assess is difficult eg if data is to be collected from a child or someone with mental health problems.

Question 2

What is your example Interview study?

Answer 2

Goldstein (1988)

Question 3

AO1 on Goldstein (1988)

Answer 3

• The study looked at differences in how males and females experienced SZ using secondary data eg case histories of patients diagnosed with SZ to see if diagnosis was reliable, and primary data eg trained interviewers gathering info on past history, experiences and family structure
• The sample consisted of 199 woman and men who were in the early stages of the disorder from a New York psychiatric hospital and were followed for 10 years
• They were re-diagnosed 10 years later using DSM-III
• Trained interviewers were used to go through symptoms to check them to aid the diagnosis, as well as the hospitals case histories
• Results found SZ woman have a significantly lower number of readmissions, and had shorter stays in hospital over the 10 yr period
• Social functioning eg marital status and occupational status affected the length of stays

Question 4

AO3 - Use of interview in clinical psychology

2S + 2W

Use the eg Study

Answer 4

• • The questions can be explained and enlarged in order to produce in-depth and detailed qualitative data. Eg in Goldstein’s study, the trained interviewers ere able to gather detailed information on symptoms which are not easy to describe or record when dealing with disorders eg SZ. Therefore the researchers are able to investigate a topic further in order to aid diagnosis and increase predictive validity
• • Pp’s may not answer honestly or give socially desirable answers based on what society expects them to say or how hey would rather be. Eg in Goldstein’s study during the clinical interviews, pp’s may not have wanted to tell the interviewers about all of their symptoms in order to avoid rehospitalisation. Therefore the conclusions drawn by researchers may not result in a valid diagnosis
• • Interviews are more valid as pp’s get to talk in their own words and are not constrained by questions. Eg in Goldstein’s study, the trained interviewers allowed pp’s to speak freely about their experiences of SZ. Therefore this is useful as they allow valid diagnosis from in-depth data
• • Interviews can have cultural issues that influence interpretation of information. Eg in Goldstein’s there may have been Asian patients where some could be more likely to talk about their physical symptoms rather than psychological. Therefore this would make rediagnosis more difficult if researchers think that pp’s are struggling from eg lack of sleep due to problems such as insomnia rather than a psychological issue