Mixed Methods Studies in Health Promotion: A Case-Study Based on the Life Situations of Young People of Refugee Backgrounds in Germany

Abstract

Mixed Methods Studies, which combine qualitative and quantitative research methods, are widely used across disciplines. However, in health promotion, quantitative methods dominate in most cases and qualitative methods are considered as an ‘add on’. By means of a Mixed Methods Study about the living situation of young people from refugee backgrounds, aged between 11 and 21 years, in an administrative district in Germany, in which quantitative and qualitative research methods are considered coequal, the issue of Mixed Methods Studies potential in health promotion is discussed. In this study, the perspectives of the young people from refugee backgrounds, their social workers from youth welfare office and local providers have been gathered. The young people from refugee backgrounds and their social workers have been consulted with a qualitative interview, whereas the local providers have been consulted in a standardised manner. The combination of qualitative and quantitative research methods to analyse the living situation of young people from refugee backgrounds gives a holistic and comprehensive insight in social, cultural and structural frame conditions, social policy’s challenges as well as individual requirements. Such Mixed Methods Studies prove suitable for health-related research, especially when it comes to quickly changing structural conditions, a difficultly accessible target group and highly personal issues.