Interpretative phenomenological analysis: Theory, Method and research (Second edition)

Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) was developed and introduced by Jonathan Smith when he put together the epistemological underpinnings of phenomenology and hermeneutics along with idiography (Smith, 2008). He then worked with Michael Larkin and Paul Flowers towards developing a comprehensive handbook for IPA. The first edition was in 2009 (Smith et al., 2009) and the second edition came out this year after IPA’s long journey in the world of qualitative research. This new edition reflects these developments and expansion of applications of the method. I have read the first edition many times since I started drawing on IPA guidelines for my research in 2010 (Fragkiadaki et al., 2013). The robust philosophical framework and the idiographic element of IPA fit my research purposes and, as I discovered later on, the way I perceive the world and my work as a counselling psychologist

“It made me a more resilient therapist”: A qualitative study on practitioners’ experience of providing mental health services during the pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic has necessitated sudden and radical changes in mental health care delivery where practitioners unavoidably engaged in remote working. As remote care is likely to become increasingly common, perhaps routine, in this study, we aimed to explore practitioners' experiences of delivering online therapy during a unique moment in history. Semi-structured online interviews were conducted with 5 participants. 3 main themes were developed using Thematic Analysis:1) Moving services online: practical challenges and opportunities; 2) Intimacy and distance in online connections; and 3) We’re all in this together: a collective experience. This study highlighted participants' flexibility, digital and relational connectedness, and ability to reframe negative experiences as potential for growth. Findings demonstrate that the existence of both challenges and opportunities for online therapy constitutes just the start of an exciting journey for practitioners when delivering mental health services in the future

Meaning-making and spirituality in cancer patients: A study based on qualitative methodology

OBJECTIVE To identify and analyze patterns of meaning-making and spirituality in cancer patients. METHOD The study sample consisted of 20 patients with an average age of 60 years, who had received radiotherapy for cancer of various sites at a public oncology hospital in Athens. The data collection was based on semi-structured interviews, and thematic analysis was the method used to analyze the qualitative research data. RESULTS From the thematic analysis of the interview data, 4 major themes and 12 individual subthemes emerged. The first theme related to the attitudes of the patients towards the disease, and specifically, supportive relationships, an optimistic view, and denial of the disease. The second theme concerned the representation of the disease, as related to the patients’ causal attributions. The subthemes that emerged were the disease as message from God, the disease as a random event, and personal responsibility for the occurrence of the disease. The third theme covered faith, which appeared to be a pillar in the efforts of the patients to cope with the upcoming difficulties, and in which the subthemes were faith in God, religious practices, and empowerment of faith during the disease. The fourth theme focused on the changes experienced by the patients throughout the course of the disease, with subthemes concerning the benefits of the traumatic experience, changes in priorities, and the perception of mortality. CONCLUSIONS Faith emerged as one of the most important aspects of the cancer experience, from which patients could derive strength and optimism. The majority of participants referred to belief in God, but a few, more vaguely, mentioned non-religious faith. Based on these findings, it appears that facing a life-threatening disease often leads patients to consider their lives in a more favorable light. The patients reported positive changes in the way they live and reported that they attached importance to more significant issues as a result of the experience. Spirituality and meaning-making appear to be very important aspects of the patients’ experience of cancer

The adjustment and new identity of athletes with prosthetic limbs: A qualitative study

OBJECTIVE Exploration of the experience of engaging in parasports by people with prosthetic limbs. METHOD Thesample consisted of 8 Paralympic athletes. The main inclusion criteria were lower-limb amputation, a prosthetic implant,and professional involvement in sports. Data collection was carried out through semi-structured interviews,and interpretative phenomenological analysis was used for data analysis. RESULTS Three super-ordinate themesand seven subthemes emerged from the qualitative analysis of the interview data. The first theme concernedlife before and after the amputation, the loss of able-bodiedness, and the establishment of physical disability,with subthemes including the resulting reactions, fears for the future, and the new dynamics and reshaping ofinterpersonal rela-tionships. The second theme reflected the transition from disability to artificial able-bodiedness,with subthemes including training in the use of the prosthetic limb, ambivalent interaction with the process ofprosthesis fitting and embodi-ment, the related sacrifices, and the beginning of involvement in parasports. Thethird theme concerned the new identity and new life, as these emerged through joining athletic teams with otherpeople with prosthetic limbs, and the acquisition of the athletic identity. The emergent subtheme was cognitiverestructuring, resulting in positive at-titudes towards the amputation, the prosthetic limb and participation inparasports. CONCLUSIONS Sports play a major role in the adjustment of amputees to prosthetic limb use, andtheir reevaluation of the amputation experi-ence. The loss of a lower limb continued to be an issue for allparticipants, but maintenance of physical and mental wellbeing, along with athletic achievements, the recognitiongained, the public acclaim received and the reputation and social acceptance that parasports provided, helped Paralympic athletes to become reconciled with the amputation and adjust to the use of the prosthetic limb

De casus van het Griekse Referendum in 2015:Persoonlijke toekomstverbeelding als prospectief reflectie-instrument

In this article, we explore a new application of personal imaginations of the future as prospective reflective instrument in a political context. The case is the Greek Referendum of 2015. In the days preceding the Referendum, we collected via an online Survey 124 letters from the future from 99 potential Greek voters about a desired future after a Yes or No Referendum result. While the letters are quite divers in content, form and valence, the letters have in common that potential voters perceive the Referendum situation as ambiguous and uncertain. We analyse one letter in-depth to demonstrate how future identity construction operates to determine values relevant to guiding the present. In dit artikel wordt een nieuwe toepassing van persoonlijke toekomstverbeeldingen besproken, namelijk als prospectief reflectie-instrument in een politieke context. De casus hiervoor is het Griekse Referendum van 2015. In de dagen voorafgaand aan dit Referendum werden via een online Survey 124 brieven vanuit de toekomst van 99 Griekse potentiele kiezers verzameld over een gewenste toekomst na een ja of een nee uitslag van het Referendum. De brieven laten een zeer divers beeld zien, maar hebben als overeenkomst dat het Referendum door potentiele kiezers als een ambigue en onzekere situatie wordt beschouwd. Aan de hand van één brief analyseren we diepgaand hoe de toekomstige identiteitsconstructie van een potentiele kiezer functioneert als waardebepaling voor het hede

Emerging from the global syndemic crucible: Finding belonging in a post Corona future

The covid-19 global syndemic has upended societies worldwide and concomitantly united the world in a shared experience of lockdowns, social distancing, and economic upheaval. In the face of great uncertainty, dystopian realities, and binding government edicts, people's everyday lives, sense of agency, actions, and interactions changed forcibly. Importantly, it has disrupted many practices and routines essential for (re)constituting a sense of belonging, an important element of personhood and individual wellbeing. Using the “Letters from the Future” method, we investigate how individuals imagine and present themselves in the future to navigate thissocial change. We ask “How do letter writers construct a sense of belonging in a future of their own imagining?” To answer this question, we combine discourse- and text analysis with network analysis to examine 47 letters that Greek participants wrote during the Spring 2020 lockdown. We explore how individuals present and introduce their future self, what topos this self inhabits and what expressions, values, and practices they perform and negotiate as they reflect on and navigate their relational worlds. By and large, Greek letter writers recognize that inequities and injustices paved the way for the syndemic and express a pressing need for societal transformation

The experience of psychological therapies for people with Multiple Sclerosis: A mixed-method study towards a patient-centred approach to exploring processes of change

Psychological therapies are effective for managing multiple sclerosis (MS) symptoms such as depression, pain, and fatigue. CBT, Mindfulness, and other theory-led approaches have been applied and were found to have moderate effects. The present study adopts a patient-led approach to investigate people with MS’ (PwMS) experience of psychological therapies and the change processes they identify. In this naturalistic, mixed-method design, semi-structured interviews were conducted and three questionnaires were administered to 20 PwMS at two different times. Qualitative data collection and analysis followed Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) guidelines, and quantitative data were analysed using paired t-tests. Four superordinate themes describe the participants’ experience of change as they related it to their psychological therapy: from despair to relief; from feeling their body as alien to becoming acquainted with an unpredictable new body; from helplessness to empowerment; and from punishment to forgiveness. Quantitative results showed that physical function and general health perception improved, and anxiety was significantly reduced. Despite seeking help from diverse psychological therapy modalities, the analysis revealed common themes that the participants found significant in their therapy stories. Following a patient-centred approach, the development of psychological therapies for PwMS should focus on their relationships, everyday lives, body perception, losses, shame, and guilt. PwMS also need to be understood and acknowledged beyond their condition

Application of Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis methodology in psychotherapy impact research: Experience of psychotherapy of a person with Multiple Sclerosis

Psychotherapy's impact and effectiveness have been explored through the use of quantitative research methods such as standardised inventories and scales measuring mainly behavioural and overt aspects of the psychotherapeutic encounter and symptom reduction. Nonetheless, change in psychotherapy is a complex, multifaceted phenomenon, requiring open-ended investigation to reveal the beneficial factors that are part of the process. This paper will demonstrate how Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) can be applied in studying the psychotherapy process's favorable aspects from the client's perspective. We argue that IPA’s epistemological underpinnings and methods for collecting and analysing data can contribute to the study of psychotherapy's impact. A case of a woman confronting the challenges of multiple sclerosis and illness symptomatology by undergoing psychodynamic psychotherapy is presented and analysed drawing on IPA guidelines

Persoonlije toekomstrverbeelding als prospectief reflective-instrument: De casus van her Griekse Referendum in 2015 [Personal future imagination as a prospective reflective instrument: The case of the Greek Referendum in 2015]

In this article, we explore a new application of personal imaginations of the future as prospective reflective instrument in a political context. The case is the Greek Referendum of 2015. In the days preceding the Referendum, we collected via an online Survey 124 letters from the future from 99 potential Greek voters about a desired future after a Yes or No Referendum result. While the letters are quite divers in content, form and valence, the letters have in common that potential voters perceive the Referendum situation as ambiguous and uncertain. We analyse one letter in-depth to demonstrate how future identity construction operates to determine values relevant to guiding the present

From social workers to socio-therapists: the transformative journey of substance abuse therapists

The efficiency of interventions in addiction is associated with the processes of practitioners’ professional development. Identity formation is studied extensively for clinical professions but little research focuses on social workers working in addiction settings. This study examined the experience of social workers working in a community treatment network in Greece. Fifteen interviews were conducted with 11 women and 4 men, ranging between 29 and 47 years οf age, who worked in different centers within the network. Data were analyzed following the guidelines of Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis, offering in-depth examinations of people’s lived experience. The results delineate a series of transformations in professional identity comprising a process of biographization. The participants highlighted intrapersonal and relational factors that influence this process which leads to self-understanding and engagement with the therapeutic community. The results contribute to deciphering the factors that influence social workers’ experience in their professional identity formation in substance abuse treatment contexts