A Qualitative Research Study of One Parent-Child Activity Group

The qualitative research methods used by the author to study one parent-child activity group are shared. This qualitative research study documented what the participants of a parent-child activity group on a child psychiatric inpatient unit reported about their experiences with each other and how these participants interacted with each other in the group over the course of eight months. The group was studied through persistent participant observation with formal and informal interviews of the participants throughout their participation in the group. The greatest benefit that some parents and children reported about their participation in the parent-child activity group was that the group opened a door to positive interaction between them that was not otherwise available during the children's psychiatric hospitalization. (C) 2006 by The Haworth Press, Inc. All rights reserved.