Qualitative Economic Evaluation of Psychosocial Interventions: How Looking Beyond the Numbers Helps Illuminate Programmatic Costs and Benefits

This article provides in-depth illustration of methodological considerations for integrating qualitative methods into economic evaluation of psychosocial interventions. Whereas economic costs and benefits of such interventions are typically measured using quantitative research methodologies, we advocate for qualitative researchers from psychology to contribute to this field of study. Additionally, we demonstrate how qualitative research methodologies greatly enhance means of identifying costs and benefits that would be missed, or underappreciated, with a purely quantitative approach. The Community-Based Services for Problematic Sexual Behavior of Youth Project is utilized as an illustrative example for conducting qualitative economic evaluation of a psychosocial intervention. Rather than presenting empirical results, methodological implications for psychological science are discussed, as well key insights gleaned from conducting qualitative economic evaluation. We also enumerate ways that qualitative psychology researchers can demonstrate their value to cost and interventions researchers.