Combining Critical Ethnography and Critical Discourse Analysis in Mental Health Nursing Research

Abstract

Background: It is uncommon to combine critical ethnography with critical discourse analysis (CDA) in health research, yet this combination has promise for managing challenges inherent in critical mental health nursing research.

Objectives: This article describes a methodologically innovative way to address issues that arise in the context of critical mental health nursing research.

Methods: This article draws on two studies that each employed a combination of critical ethnography and CDA in the context of mental health nursing research, discussing the challenges and implications of this approach.

Results: Although the combination critical ethnography and CDA presents several challenges, it also provides a framework for researchers to sustain a critically reflective stance throughout the research process. This facilitates the process of reanalyzing and reflecting on how healthcare practices and knowledge both support and are constrained by hegemonic discourses.

Discussion: This combination has the potential to facilitate the production of new, emancipatory knowledge that will assist nurses in understanding issues of structural inequity within the healthcare system.