A metamethod analysis of qualitative research methodology in studies of psychotherapists’ experiences

Objective: As the amount of qualitative psychotherapy research has increased, methodological and reporting practices have evolved and changed to reflect trends in the field. We investigated trends by surveying the methodological characteristics of the qualitative research on therapists' experiences conducting psychotherapy prior to the publication of the SQIP methodological integrity framework and APA reporting standards for qualitative research. Methods: We identified articles using PsycINFO and coded features including publication year, reported epistemological perspective, number of participants, research design, and procedural checks. We analyzed trends in 140 studies (published 1985 to2015) across these characteristics using descriptive and exploratory inferential statistics. Results: The number of publications grew substantially. Researchers reported their epistemological stance in approximately a quarter of studies, which was not predictive of article age, number of participants, reports of reflexivity, or credibility checks. Additionally, a larger number of participants were associated with grounded theory designs, whereas fewer were associated with phenomenological studies. Higher numbers of reflexivity and credibility checks were associated with consensual qualitative research. Procedures promoting reflexivity, such as formal reflection and self-description by researchers, increased over time, whereas procedures promoting credibility, such as consensus, decreased. Conclusions: Qualitative psychotherapy research is fast-growing and becoming more reflexive, although researchers should more routinely report features related to methodological integrity.