Editorial: Qualitative contributions to translational science – Practical pointers towards methodological pluralism in child psychology and psychiatry

Abstract

Qualitative research is notable by its relative absence from the translational science studies in the field of child mental health and neurodevelopmental conditions in general, and the Journal of Child Psychology & Psychiatry in particular. In this editorial, I argue for a pragmatic integration of qualitative and quantitative methods to speed up the development of new and more effective interventions. I give practical examples of the benefits of qualitative methods at specific points across the discovery – development – implementation translational cycle.