Challenges to qualitative evidence synthesis – Aiming for diversity and abstracting without losing meaning

Abstract

Recent years have seen an increase in the publication of qualitative studies in psychological research. As meta-analyses in quantitative research, qualitative evidence synthesis (QES) methods such as meta synthesis, thematic synthesis, or meta ethnography strive to analyse findings from primary qualitative inquiries. However, these approaches are still largely unknown to psychological researchers and come with a number of challenges. The present article aims to introduce QES to the reader, outline some of its benefits, and shed light on two challenges of QES, in particular: on the question of how to include studies from a great diversity of countries and cultures, and on the conflict of reducing, merging, and abstracting from the findings of primary studies while aspiring to preserve their full contribution and meaning. These challenges are explained by providing a practical example of a QES from the field of mental healthcare research. The article concludes with some suggestions for future qualitative meta researchers, such as working in teams that include members from a plurality of contexts who speak a multiplicity of languages, as well as transparently reporting on decisions taken during the research process.