Example Case Study - Luk and Agoha

Question 1

what was the case study about

Answer 1

the role of socio-cultural factors in the course of anorexia nervosa - in a chinese-american adolescent

Question 2

methods

Answer 2

case study

retrospective review

inpatient and outpatient charts were reviewed - after parental consent and youth assent

Question 3

sample

Answer 3

15 year old chinese-american adolescent female

diagnosed at 13

showed severe calorie restriction and excessive exercise

BMI of 11.8

amenorrhea

Question 4

care recieved

Answer 4

inpatient child/adolescent psychiatric unit
- underwent individual therapy, group therapy, daily weigh-ins and monitoring of meals

readmitted to hospital twice within 6 months after being discharged due to being unable to maintain her weight

assigned a home therapist with regular visits with nutritionist and weekly psychiatric visit

Question 5

participant background - family and home life

Answer 5

amy refused to eat meals with her family

preferred to make her own dinners

annoyed with her mother’s queries and promptings to maintain caloric intake

Question 6

recovery

Answer 6

as in home services decreased, amy showed herself as competent in being able to consistently being able to make it to appointments on her own

episode of menstrual bleeding 15 months post discharge

Question 7

analysis of data and conclusions - link to developmental theories of anorexia

Answer 7

struggle with her mother, food refusal and developmental stage are consistent with the developmental theories of anorexia

Question 8

analysis of data and conclusions - culture clash

Answer 8

chose to reject her ancestral culture through her rejection of her family’s - due to a need to feel control over her life - she wants to feel like a part of the culture she sees outside of the home

symbolicaly rejected her parents love and care

Question 9

analysis of data and conclusions - how did amy regain control

Answer 9

held accountable by her nutritionsit for more balanced food choices and meals

worked in conjunction with the in home therapist
who was able to traverse the cultural divide and make treatment recommendations practical in the home setting

Question 10

analysis of data and conclusions - Amy’s visit to China

Answer 10

10 months after treatment

she no longer needed to reject the culture of her parents in order to fit in with the culture of her surroundings

felt more secure in herself and her appearance

with fewer family and cultural barriers, amy was able to progress developmentally to achieving more independence and a more secure sense of identity.

Question 11

ideographic approach in this case study

Answer 11

followed one person for over a year

Question 12

quantitative and qualitative data gathered

Answer 12

BMI - quantitative
inpatient and outpatient chart reviews - qualitative

Question 13

range of methods used to collect data

Answer 13

triangulation of data from different sources increases reliability as the same results have been gathered from different sources

data from therapy session, inpatient and outpatient chart reviews

Question 14

longitudinal research in this study

Answer 14

followed amy from 15 years old for over a year

Question 15

validity may have been low due to researcher bias

Answer 15

when a researcher follows one person for a long period of time, they may develop an emotional attachment, as they know so much about the participant