Studying sensitive and contradictory family situations
Considerations from three family studies
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.31265/jcsw.v6i1.56Keywords:
family studies, interviews, sensitivity, contradictory family situationsAbstract
The purpose of this article is to discuss questions about studying sensitive and contradictory family situations, particularly in the process of gathering qualitative data via interviews. In the article, the authors ask what types of considerations are possible when studying such issues. Three ongoing family studies conducted in the social sciences by the authors are used as the basis for discussing the sensitive and contradictory nature of such family issues. The authors’ studies are about the foster children’s family relations, the sons of problem-drinking fathers and the families participating in a preventive family support system. Family matters are often perceived as being something private that is not to be talked about or shared with outsiders, e.g. talking about negative feelings towards family members may be complicated.
References
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Corbin, J., & Morse, J. M. (2003). ’The Unstructured Interactive Interview: Issues of Reciprocity and Risks when Dealing Sensitive Topics’, Qualitative Inquiry, Vol. 9, No. 3, pp. 335-354.
Dickson-Swift, V., James, E. L., Kippen, S., & Liamputtong, P. (2007). ’Doing sensitive research: What challenges do qualitative researchers face?’ Qualitative Research, Vol. 7, No. 3, pp. 327- 353.
Elam, G., & FENTON, K. A. (2003). ’Researching Sensitive Issues and Ethnicity; Lessons from Sexual Health’, Ethnicity & Health, Vol. 8, No. 11, pp. 15-27.
Enosh, G., & Buchbinder, E. (2005). ’The Interactive Construction of Narrative Styles in Sensitive Interviews: The Case of Domestic Violence Research’, Qualitative Inquiry, Vol. 11, No. 4, pp. 588-617.
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Granfelt, R. (2004). ‘Hetkeksi jaetut maailmat? Kokemuksia vankilasta ja tuetun asumisen yhteisöstä’ [Worlds shared momentarily? Experiences from the prison and the community of supported housing], Janus, Vol. 12, No. 2, pp. 134-154.
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Honkatukia, P., Nyqvist, L., & Pösö, T. (2003). ‘Sensitive issues in vulnerable conditions: Studying violence in youth residential care’, Young, Vol. 11, No. 4, pp. 323-339.
Hurtig, J. (2006). Lasten tieto sosiaalityön haasteena. [Children’s knowledge as a challenge in social work]. In H. Forsberg, A. Ritala-Koskinen, & M. Törrönen (Eds.), Lapset ja sosiaalityö. [Children and social work] Jyväskylä: PS-kustannus, pp.167-193.
Hutchinson, S., & Wilson, H. (1994). ’Research and Therapeutic Interviews: A Poststructural Perspective’. In J. M. Morse (Ed.), Critical Issues in Qualitative Research Methods. Thousand Oaks: Sage.
Hydèn, M., (2008). ’Narrating Sensitive topics’. In M. Andrews, C. Squire, & M. Tamboukou (Eds.), Doing narrative research. Los Angeles, London, New Delhi & Singapore: Sage.
Johnson, B., & Clarke, J. M. (2003). ’Collecting sensitive data: The impact on researchers’, Qualitative health research, Vol. 13, No. 3, pp. 421- 434.
Jordan, A. B. (2006). ’Make yourself at home: The social construction of research roles in family studies’, Qualitative research, Vol. 6, No. 2, pp. 169-185.
Kavanaugh, K., & Ayres, L. (1998). “Not as bad as it could have been”: Assessing and mitigating harm during research interviews on sensitive topics’, Research in Nursing & Health, Vol. 21, No. 1, pp. 91-97.
Kvale, S. (1996). Interviews. An introduction to qualitative research interviewing. Thousand Oaks, London & New Delhi: Sage publications.
Kvale, S. (2006). ’Dominance through Interviews and Dialogues’, Qualitative Inquiry, Vol. 12, No. 3, pp. 480-500.
Kvale, S., & Brinkmann, S. (2009). Interviews. Learning the craft of qualitative research interviewing. Second Edition. Los Angeles, London, New Delhi & Singapore: Sage.
Laitinen, M. (2004). Häväistyt ruumiit ja rikotut mielet. Tutkimus lapsina läheissuhteissa sek- suaalisesti hyväksikäytettyjen naisten ja miesten elämästä [Violated bodies and broken minds. Research on the lives of women and men who have been sexually abused in close relationship in childhood]. Tampere: Vastapaino.
Laitinen, M., & Uusitalo, T. (2007). ‘Sensitiivisen haastattelututkimuksen eettiset haasteet’ [Ethical challenges in sensitive interview research], Janus, Vol. 15, No. 4, pp. 316–332.
Lee, R. M. (1993). Doing research on sensitive topics. London, Newbury Park & New Delhi: Sage.
Liamputtong, P. (2007). Researching the vulnerable. A guide to sensitive research method. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
Mertens, D. M., & Ginsberg, P. E. (2008). ’Deep in ethical waters: Transformative perspectives for qualitative social work research’, Qualitative social work, Vol. 7, No. 4, pp. 484-503.
Morse, M. J. (Ed.) (1994). Critical Issues in Qualitative Research Methods. Thousand Oaks, London & New Delhi: Sage.
Murray, B. L. (2003). ’Qualitative research interviews: Therapeutic benefits for the participants’, Journal of psychiatric and mental health nursing, Vol. 10, No. 2, pp. 231-238.
Nousiainen, K. (2004). Lapsistaan erillään asuvat äidit. Äitiysidentiteetin rakentamisen tiloja [Mothers living apart from their children. Spaces for building maternal identity]. Jyväskylä: Minerva.
Oakley, A. (1981). ’Interviewing women: A contradiction in terms’. In H. Roberts (Ed.), Doing Feminist Research. London: Routledge & Kegan, Paul Ltd.
Orb, A., Eisenhauer, L., & Wynaden, D. (2001). ‘Ethics in Qualitative Research‘, Journal of Nursing Scholarship, Vol. 33, No. 1, pp. 93-96.
Papageourgiou, D. (2007). ‚Field research on the run: one more (from) for the road‘. In A. McLean, & A. Leibing (Eds.), The shadow side of fieldwork. Exploring the blurred borders between ethnography and life. Malden, MA: Blackwell Publishing.
Peled, E., & Leichtentritt, R. (2002). ‚The ethics of qualitative social work research‘, Qualitative Social Work, Vol. 1, No. 2, pp. 145-169.
Pirskanen, H. (2009). “Was your father a problem drinker?” Challenges of life story inter- viewing in researching adult sons of problem drinking fathers’, Journal of Comparative Social Work, Vol 4, No 1
Pösö, T. (2008). ‘Kiistanalaiset perhesuhteet ja tutkimisen moraali’ [Contradictory family relations and the moral of the research]. In E. Sevón, & M. Notko (Eds.), Perhesuhteet punta- rissa [Pondering family relations]. Helsinki: Palmenia.
Ryen, A. (2007). ’Ethical Issues’. In C. Seale, G. Gobo, J. F. Gubrium, & D. Silverman (Eds.), Qualitative Research Practice. London, Thousand Oaks & New Delhi: Sage.
Seidman, I. (2006). Interviewing as qualitative research. A guide for researchers in education and the social sciences. Third Edition. New York and London: Teachers’ College Press.
Shaw, I. (2008). ’Ethics and the Practice of Qualitative Research’, Qualitative Social Work, Vol. 7, No. 4, pp. 399-414.
Smart, C. (2006). ’Children’s narratives of post-divorce family life: From individual experience to an ethical disposition’, The Sociological Review, Vol. 54, No. 1, pp. 155-170.
Smart, C. (2007). Personal life. New directions in sociological thinking. Cambridge: Polity press.
Vangelisti, A. L. (1994). ’Family secrets: Forms, functions and correlates’, Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, Vol. 11, No. 1, pp. 113-135.
Vangelisti, A. L., & Caughlin, J. P. (1997). ’Revealing family secrets: The influence of the topic, function and relationships’, Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, Vol. 14, No. 5, pp. 679-705.
Velleman, R., & Orford, J. (1990.) Young adult of offspring of parents with drinking prob- lems: recollections of parents’ drinking and its immediate effects. British Journal of Clinical Psychology, Vol. 29, No. 9, pp. 297-317.
Vetere, A., & Gale, A. (1987). ’Ethical issues in the study of family life’, in Ecological studies of family life. Chichester: John Wiley and Sons Ltd.
Vetere, A., Gale, A., Lewis, S., Jolly, C., & Reynolds, S. (1987). Ecological studies of family life. Chichester: John Wiley and Sons Ltd.
Åstedt-Kurki, P., & Hopia, H. (1996). ’The Family interview: Exploring experiences of family health and well-being’, Journal of Advanced Nursing, Vol. 24, No. 3, pp. 506-511.
Bogolub, E. B., & Thomas, N. (2005). Parental consent and the ethics of research with foster children. Beginning a cross-cultural dialogue. Qualitative social work , Vol. 4, No. 3, pp. 271-292.
Bourne, J. (1998). ’Researchers experience emotions too’. In R. S. Barbour, & G. Huby (Eds.), Meddling with mythology. London: Routledge.
Brinkmann, S., & Kvale, S. (2005). ’Confronting the ethics of qualitative research’, Journal of Constructivist Psychology, Vol. 18, No. 2, pp. 157-181.
Campbell, A. (2008). For their own good. Recruiting children for research. Childhood Vol. 15, No. 1, pp. 30-49.
Campensino, M. (2007). ’Homicide bereavement: Reflections on the therapeutic relationships in trauma research’, Qualitative inquiry, Vol. 13, No. 4, pp. 541-553.
Chatzifotiou, S. (2000). ’Conducting Qualitative Research on Wife Abuse: Dealing with the Issue of Anxiety’, Sociological Research Online, Vol. 5, No. 2, <http://www.socreonline.org.uk/5/2/chatzifotiou.html>.
Cieurzo, C., & and KEITEL, M. A. (1999). ’Ethics in qualitative research’. In Mary Kopala and Lisa Suzuki (Eds.), Using Qualitative Methods in Psychology. Thousand Oaks, London & New Delhi: Sage Publications.
Corbin, J., & Morse, J. M. (2003). ’The Unstructured Interactive Interview: Issues of Reciprocity and Risks when Dealing Sensitive Topics’, Qualitative Inquiry, Vol. 9, No. 3, pp. 335-354.
Dickson-Swift, V., James, E. L., Kippen, S., & Liamputtong, P. (2007). ’Doing sensitive research: What challenges do qualitative researchers face?’ Qualitative Research, Vol. 7, No. 3, pp. 327- 353.
Elam, G., & FENTON, K. A. (2003). ’Researching Sensitive Issues and Ethnicity; Lessons from Sexual Health’, Ethnicity & Health, Vol. 8, No. 11, pp. 15-27.
Enosh, G., & Buchbinder, E. (2005). ’The Interactive Construction of Narrative Styles in Sensitive Interviews: The Case of Domestic Violence Research’, Qualitative Inquiry, Vol. 11, No. 4, pp. 588-617.
Fine, G. A., & Sandstrom, K. L. (1988). Knowing Children. Participant Observation with Minors. Qualitative research methods series 15. Newbury Park: Sage.
Fontana, A., & Frey, J. H. (2000). ’The interview. From structured questions to negotiated text’. In N. K. Denzin, & Y. S. Lincoln (Eds.), Handbook of qualitative research. Second edi- tion. Thousand Oaks, London & New Delhi: Sage publications.
Fontes, L. (2004). ’Ethics in violence against women research. The sensitive, the dangerous and the overlooked’, Ethics & Behavior, Vol. 14, No. 2, pp. 141-174.
Forsberg, H. (2002). Lasten asiakkuudet ja kokemukset turvakodissa. Arviointitutkimus Lapsen aika–projektista. [Children’s clientships and experiences in refuge], Helsinki: Ensi- ja turvakotien liiton julkaisu 31.
Fraser, H. (2004). ’Doing Narrative Research: Analyzing Personal Stories Line by Line’, Qualitative Social Work, Vol. 3, No. 2, pp. 179–201.
Gilbertson, R., & Barber, J. G. (2002). Obstacles to involving children and young people in foster care research. Child and family social work, 7, pp. 253- 258.
Gill, F., & McLean, C. (2002). ’Knowing your Place: Gender and Reflexivity in Two Ethnographies’, Sociological Research Online, Vol. 7, No. 2, <http://www.socresonline.org.uk/7/2/gill.html>.
Glesne, C. (1999). Becoming qualitative researchers. An introduction. Second Edition. New York: Longman.
Goode, J. (2006). ‘Research identities. Reflections of a contract researcher’, Sociological research online, Vol. 11, No. 2, <http://www.socresonline.org.uk/11/2/goode.html>.
Goode, S. (2000). ’Researching a hard-to-access and vulnerable population: Some considerations on researching drug and alcohol-using mothers’, Sociological research online, Vol. 5, No. 1, <http://www.socresonline.org.uk/5/1/goode.html>.
Granfelt, R. (2004). ‘Hetkeksi jaetut maailmat? Kokemuksia vankilasta ja tuetun asumisen yhteisöstä’ [Worlds shared momentarily? Experiences from the prison and the community of supported housing], Janus, Vol. 12, No. 2, pp. 134-154.
Heath, S., Brooks, R., Cleaver, E., & Ireland, E. (2009). Researching Young People’s Lives. London: Sage.
Honkatukia, P., Nyqvist, L., & Pösö, T. (2003). ‘Sensitive issues in vulnerable conditions: Studying violence in youth residential care’, Young, Vol. 11, No. 4, pp. 323-339.
Hurtig, J. (2006). Lasten tieto sosiaalityön haasteena. [Children’s knowledge as a challenge in social work]. In H. Forsberg, A. Ritala-Koskinen, & M. Törrönen (Eds.), Lapset ja sosiaalityö. [Children and social work] Jyväskylä: PS-kustannus, pp.167-193.
Hutchinson, S., & Wilson, H. (1994). ’Research and Therapeutic Interviews: A Poststructural Perspective’. In J. M. Morse (Ed.), Critical Issues in Qualitative Research Methods. Thousand Oaks: Sage.
Hydèn, M., (2008). ’Narrating Sensitive topics’. In M. Andrews, C. Squire, & M. Tamboukou (Eds.), Doing narrative research. Los Angeles, London, New Delhi & Singapore: Sage.
Johnson, B., & Clarke, J. M. (2003). ’Collecting sensitive data: The impact on researchers’, Qualitative health research, Vol. 13, No. 3, pp. 421- 434.
Jordan, A. B. (2006). ’Make yourself at home: The social construction of research roles in family studies’, Qualitative research, Vol. 6, No. 2, pp. 169-185.
Kavanaugh, K., & Ayres, L. (1998). “Not as bad as it could have been”: Assessing and mitigating harm during research interviews on sensitive topics’, Research in Nursing & Health, Vol. 21, No. 1, pp. 91-97.
Kvale, S. (1996). Interviews. An introduction to qualitative research interviewing. Thousand Oaks, London & New Delhi: Sage publications.
Kvale, S. (2006). ’Dominance through Interviews and Dialogues’, Qualitative Inquiry, Vol. 12, No. 3, pp. 480-500.
Kvale, S., & Brinkmann, S. (2009). Interviews. Learning the craft of qualitative research interviewing. Second Edition. Los Angeles, London, New Delhi & Singapore: Sage.
Laitinen, M. (2004). Häväistyt ruumiit ja rikotut mielet. Tutkimus lapsina läheissuhteissa sek- suaalisesti hyväksikäytettyjen naisten ja miesten elämästä [Violated bodies and broken minds. Research on the lives of women and men who have been sexually abused in close relationship in childhood]. Tampere: Vastapaino.
Laitinen, M., & Uusitalo, T. (2007). ‘Sensitiivisen haastattelututkimuksen eettiset haasteet’ [Ethical challenges in sensitive interview research], Janus, Vol. 15, No. 4, pp. 316–332.
Lee, R. M. (1993). Doing research on sensitive topics. London, Newbury Park & New Delhi: Sage.
Liamputtong, P. (2007). Researching the vulnerable. A guide to sensitive research method. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
Mertens, D. M., & Ginsberg, P. E. (2008). ’Deep in ethical waters: Transformative perspectives for qualitative social work research’, Qualitative social work, Vol. 7, No. 4, pp. 484-503.
Morse, M. J. (Ed.) (1994). Critical Issues in Qualitative Research Methods. Thousand Oaks, London & New Delhi: Sage.
Murray, B. L. (2003). ’Qualitative research interviews: Therapeutic benefits for the participants’, Journal of psychiatric and mental health nursing, Vol. 10, No. 2, pp. 231-238.
Nousiainen, K. (2004). Lapsistaan erillään asuvat äidit. Äitiysidentiteetin rakentamisen tiloja [Mothers living apart from their children. Spaces for building maternal identity]. Jyväskylä: Minerva.
Oakley, A. (1981). ’Interviewing women: A contradiction in terms’. In H. Roberts (Ed.), Doing Feminist Research. London: Routledge & Kegan, Paul Ltd.
Orb, A., Eisenhauer, L., & Wynaden, D. (2001). ‘Ethics in Qualitative Research‘, Journal of Nursing Scholarship, Vol. 33, No. 1, pp. 93-96.
Papageourgiou, D. (2007). ‚Field research on the run: one more (from) for the road‘. In A. McLean, & A. Leibing (Eds.), The shadow side of fieldwork. Exploring the blurred borders between ethnography and life. Malden, MA: Blackwell Publishing.
Peled, E., & Leichtentritt, R. (2002). ‚The ethics of qualitative social work research‘, Qualitative Social Work, Vol. 1, No. 2, pp. 145-169.
Pirskanen, H. (2009). “Was your father a problem drinker?” Challenges of life story inter- viewing in researching adult sons of problem drinking fathers’, Journal of Comparative Social Work, Vol 4, No 1
Pösö, T. (2008). ‘Kiistanalaiset perhesuhteet ja tutkimisen moraali’ [Contradictory family relations and the moral of the research]. In E. Sevón, & M. Notko (Eds.), Perhesuhteet punta- rissa [Pondering family relations]. Helsinki: Palmenia.
Ryen, A. (2007). ’Ethical Issues’. In C. Seale, G. Gobo, J. F. Gubrium, & D. Silverman (Eds.), Qualitative Research Practice. London, Thousand Oaks & New Delhi: Sage.
Seidman, I. (2006). Interviewing as qualitative research. A guide for researchers in education and the social sciences. Third Edition. New York and London: Teachers’ College Press.
Shaw, I. (2008). ’Ethics and the Practice of Qualitative Research’, Qualitative Social Work, Vol. 7, No. 4, pp. 399-414.
Smart, C. (2006). ’Children’s narratives of post-divorce family life: From individual experience to an ethical disposition’, The Sociological Review, Vol. 54, No. 1, pp. 155-170.
Smart, C. (2007). Personal life. New directions in sociological thinking. Cambridge: Polity press.
Vangelisti, A. L. (1994). ’Family secrets: Forms, functions and correlates’, Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, Vol. 11, No. 1, pp. 113-135.
Vangelisti, A. L., & Caughlin, J. P. (1997). ’Revealing family secrets: The influence of the topic, function and relationships’, Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, Vol. 14, No. 5, pp. 679-705.
Velleman, R., & Orford, J. (1990.) Young adult of offspring of parents with drinking prob- lems: recollections of parents’ drinking and its immediate effects. British Journal of Clinical Psychology, Vol. 29, No. 9, pp. 297-317.
Vetere, A., & Gale, A. (1987). ’Ethical issues in the study of family life’, in Ecological studies of family life. Chichester: John Wiley and Sons Ltd.
Vetere, A., Gale, A., Lewis, S., Jolly, C., & Reynolds, S. (1987). Ecological studies of family life. Chichester: John Wiley and Sons Ltd.
Åstedt-Kurki, P., & Hopia, H. (1996). ’The Family interview: Exploring experiences of family health and well-being’, Journal of Advanced Nursing, Vol. 24, No. 3, pp. 506-511.
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Published
2011-04-01
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Hämäläinen, K., Pirskanen, H., & Rautio, S. (2011). Studying sensitive and contradictory family situations: Considerations from three family studies. Journal of Comparative Social Work, 6(1), 35–51. https://doi.org/10.31265/jcsw.v6i1.56
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