Research

Methodology

Research Methods Core's Mission Statement

The Research Methods Core's mission is to enable CMHSR researchers and research partners -- through collaboration, consultation, education, and research -- to develop methods to answer important research questions in measurable and meaningful ways.

Consultation and Collaboration

Consultation and collaborative relationships are the Research Methods Core’s main means of achieving our mission. It is our belief that such relationships help to foster the development of collaborative efforts and encourage the use of multidisciplinary approaches in our research. Core members provide consultation to researchers on all phases of research, including but not limited to:

study design
development of measurable and testable research questions
data collection
data management
data analysis
data reporting

Methodology

The Core has a wide variety of expertise in areas at each step of the research process, including research design and planning, data collection and management, statistical and qualitative analysis, and dissemination. Examples of these areas of expertise are listed here.

Research Design and Planning

provision of randomization methods
creation of appropriate sampling strategies
provision of sample size estimation and power analysis
assistance with proposal development

Data Collection and Management

Survey Design and Development

Design and development of survey instruments are central activities across all research areas at the CMHSR. As such, the Core can assist with this activity. Areas of expertise include:

internet surveys
computer-assisted telephone and in-person interviewing
event history calendars
time and activities diaries

Data Management

design and develop study databases
provide techniques to assure quality and integrity of data (e.g., automatic field validation, double entry, optical marks recognition, …)
convert databases to formats appropriate for analysis
carry out data merges and transformations in preparation for analysis

Data Analysis

The Core has expertise in both quantitative and qualitative data analytic techniques.

Quantitative methods

We apply a wide variety of statistical techniques to the analysis of data from primary, secondary, and administrative sources. Techniques include, but are not limited to: multi-level modeling

propensity scoring
survival analyses
maximum individualized change
computer-intensive statistical procedures (e.g., recursive partitioning, probabilistic population estimation, and bootstrapping)
psychometric procedures, including G-theory and latent-trait techniques (e.g., confirmatory factor analysis and item response theory models)
complex sampling strategies for survey data (e.g., NCS, NHANES, etc.), including the use of patented procedures to merge large administrative datasets
meta-analysis
program evaluation and continuous quality improvement (CQI)

Qualitative methods

The Core has experience using a variety of tools to collect (e.g., in-depth ethnographic interviews, focus groups, onsite observation, and document review) and analyze qualitative data (e.g., QSR N6, The Ethnograph, AnSWR). We employ qualitative approaches to:

explore people's motivations, behavior, desires, and needs
document the evolution of implementation processes
study outcomes of policy or systems changes
assess strengths and weaknesses of an administrative or organizational structure

Dissemination

The Core has a history of publication success. We have extensive experience

creating tables and graphical representations of data
describing methods and results for presentations and publications
responding to reviewers of funding agencies and journals

Members of the Core also have established collaborative relationships with a variety of other institutions (e.g., the Center for Health Policy and Research, the Florida Mental Health Institute, the Simon Fraser University Mental Health, Law, and Policy Institute, etc.) and public agency partners the Department of Mental Health (DMH), the Department of Social Services (DSS), Commonwealth Medicine, the Health Foundation of Central Massachusetts, the Veterans Administration, the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), the National Association of State Mental Health Program Directors (NASMHPD),and the CMHS National GAINS Center to name a few.

Center for Mental Health Services Research
Department of Psychiatry
55 Lake Avenue North
Worcester, MA 01655
Phone: 508-856-5498
Fax: 508-856-8700
Email: CMHSR@umassmed.edu