A challenge in qualitative research: Family members sitting in on interviews about sensitive subjects

Authors:Anna Kathryn Taylor; Steven Armitage; Ambareen Kausar
Source:  Health Expectations, Vol 24, Iss 4, Pp 1545-1546 (2021)
Language: English
Semi-structured interviews enable the exploration of a participant's views and experiences, and can reveal in-depth insights into a problem. Interviews usually consist of a dialogue between the researcher and the study participant.1 Dyadic interviewing2 is a form of qualitative research in which two participants interact and respond to open-ended questions posed by the researcher, recognizing and utilizing the interdependent relationship between individuals. This can be a useful approach for some research settings. Researchers may study the relationship between interviewees in addition to the data generated by their interaction, offering a joint perspective on shared problems such as management of chronic illness.3 The data from dyadic interviewing can be explored through considering the dyad as a single unit of analysis, or alternatively as two separate perspectives. Individual interviewing involves a single perspective but might enable that participant to speak more openly; there is a risk with dyadic interviewing that a disclosure from one interviewee could cause harm to the other, or one person may dominate the interview.3 Therefore, sensitive subjects may be better discussed in individual interviews. Sometimes, researchers encounter family members of study participants who wish to join a one-to-one interview; this may create a dilemma.

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