title: Realist identification of group-level latent variables for perinatal social epidemiology theory building.
abstract: We have previously reported in this journal on an ecological study of perinatal depressive symptoms in South Western Sydney. In that article, we briefly reported on a factor analysis that was utilized to identify empirical indicators for analysis. In this article, we report on the mixed method approach that was used to identify those latent variables. Social epidemiology has been slow to embrace a latent variable approach to the study of social, political, economic, and cultural structures and mechanisms, partly for philosophical reasons. Critical realist ontology and epistemology have been advocated as an appropriate methodological approach to both theory building and theory testing in the health sciences. We describe here an emergent mixed method approach that uses qualitative methods to identify latent constructs followed by factor analysis using empirical indicators chosen to measure identified qualitative codes. Comparative analysis of the findings is reported together with a limited description of realist approaches to abstract reasoning.
authors.forename: John Graeme
authors.initials: JG
authors.lastname: Eastwood
authors.forename: Bin Badrudin
authors.initials: BB
authors.lastname: Jalaludin
authors.forename: Lynn Ann
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Kemp
authors.forename: Hai Ngoc
authors.initials: HN
authors.lastname: Phung
mesh_terms: D019052:Depression, Postpartum / Q000453:epidemiology*; D005260:Female; D017144:Focus Groups; D006801:Humans; D036301:Qualitative Research; D012107:Research Design; D012111:Residence Characteristics; D064890:Social Determinants of Health; D012944:Social Support; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors