University of Leicester
Browse

Investigating question-answer sequences in child mental health assessments: Engaging children and families through declarative question design

Download (800.7 kB)
journal contribution
posted on 2024-02-27, 14:46 authored by M O'Reilly, N Kiyimba
Objective: In mental health settings, before a child can be diagnosed with a mental health condition, they must initially be assessed. These assessments are characterised by question-answer sequences with the child and family members, and our objective is to explore the function of declarative questions. Methods: Video recordings of mental health assessments from 28 families were collected, each being approximately 90 min. Referred children were aged 6–17-years. Data were transcribed using the Jefferson approach and conversation analysis was used. Results: Attention to question-answer sequences identified that one common type was the declarative question. We focus on three identifiable forms: clean language short declaratives, declaratives with extreme case formulations, and reformulation declaratives. Conclusions: The response to these three types of declaratives formed the basis for subsequent question-answer elaboration sequences. The question functioned both to engage the child directly and align with other family members. Practice implications: Implications for practitioners are that these types of declarative questions offer a resource to engage in fact-checking in a way that is non-face-threatening. Conversation analysis provides a methodological tool for practitioners to engage in reflective practice to enhance their clinical skills in relation to question design.

History

Citation

Patient Education and Counseling, 121 (2024) 108105

Author affiliation

Criminology & Sociology

Version

  • VoR (Version of Record)

Published in

Patient Education and Counseling

Volume

121

Publisher

Elsevier BV

issn

0738-3991

Acceptance date

2023-12-09

Copyright date

2024

Available date

2024-02-27

Language

en

Deposited by

Dr Michelle O'Reilly

Deposit date

2024-02-15

Rights Retention Statement

  • No

Usage metrics

    University of Leicester Publications

    Categories

    No categories selected

    Exports

    RefWorks
    BibTeX
    Ref. manager
    Endnote
    DataCite
    NLM
    DC