Ethnographic research method for psychological and medical studies in light of COVID‐19 pandemic outbreak: Theoretical approach

• Published date: 01 November 2020
• Author: Boshra A. Arnout,Dina E. Abdel Rahman,Mohamed Elprince,Ahmed A. Abada,Khalid J. Jasim
• Date: 01 November 2020
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.1002/pa.2404

ACADEMIC PAPER

Ethnographic research method for psychological and medical

studies in light of COVID-19 pandemic outbreak: Theoretical

approach

Boshra A. Arnout

1,2

|Dina E. Abdel Rahman

3

|Mohamed Elprince

4

|

Ahmed A. Abada

5

|Khalid J. Jasim

6

1

Department of Psychology, King Khalid

University, Abha, Saudi Arabia

2

Department of Psychology, Faculty of Arts,

Zagazig University, Zagazig, Egypt

3

Department of Psychology, Port Said

University, Port Fuad, Egypt

4

Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology,

Faculty of Medicine, Suez Canal University,

Ismailia, Egypt

5

Department of Cardiology, Faculty of

Medicine, 6th of October University, Cairo,

Egypt

6

Department of Educational and Psychological

Science, College of Education, Ibn Rushd for

Human Science, Baghdad University,

Baghdad, Iraq

Correspondence

Boshra A. Arnout, Department of Psychology,

King Khalid University, Abha, Saudi Arabia.

Email: beahmad@kku.edu.sa, prof.arnout74@

gmail.com

Ethnographic research is perhaps the most common applicable typeof qualitative

research method in psychology an d medicine. In ethnography studies, the researcher

immerses himself in the environment of participants to understand the cultures,

challenges, motivations, and topics that arise between them by investigating the

environment directly. This type of research method can last for a few days to a few

years because it involves in-depth monitoring and data collection based on these

foundations. For this reason, the findings of the current study stimuli the

researchers in psychology and medi cine to conduct studies by applying ethnographic

research method to investigate the common cultural patterns: language, thinking,

beliefs, and behavior for groups of addicts, the bullies and their bullies, hospitalized

psychiatric patients, psychiatric nursing groups, psychologists, counselors and psy-

chotherapists, elderly residents of care homes, abused persons, orphans, persons

with special needs, groups of gifted students in gifted schools and centers, and fam-

ily with special needs children. The ethnographic approach is a veryimportant

method in medicine to investigate the health case of the patients with chronic dis-

eases, such as heart diseases, cancer, diabetes, blood pressure, and others. And

examine the effectiveness of th e treatment plan and take a decision to continue this

plan, or change it, in the treatment of a particula r disease group. As well as detection

of the side effects of drugs and treatment plan for certain groups of patients, and

learning about the common culture of pregnant women about the process of preg-

nancy and childbirth.

1|INTRODUCTION AND THEORETICAL

BACKGROUND

Ethnography is a qualitative research study that looks at the social

interaction between individuals who live in a specific environment.

This research provides an in-depth look at the participants' opinions

and behaviors, as well as the situations he faces during his day. The

researcher provides an understanding of how these participants see

the world around them and how they interact with everything around

them, using direct observation tools, diary study, video recordings,

photography, and impact analysis, such as devices that a person uses

throughout the day. Notes can be made anywhere from the partici-

pant's workplace or home, or while out with family and friends. The

duration of an ethnographic study can vary depending on the subject

matter of the research being conducted. It can range from a few hours

of observation to studies lasting several months (Arnout, 2020;

Creswell, 2003; Pawluch, Shaffir, & Miall, 2005). Therefore, we find

the basic term in ethnographic studies is the term, culture, which

means everything related to human behavior and beliefs.

(Arnout, 2020; Van Maanen, 1988).

Received: 27 July 2020Revised: 17 August 2020Accepted: 18 August 2020

DOI: 10.1002/pa.2404

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https://doi.org/10.1002/pa.2404