Researching Emotional Distress and Help-Seeking for Distress in Families in Palliative Care Using Multi-Perspective Interviewing

Abstract

In 2011, I began my PhD, which sought to understand experiences of emotional distress and help-seeking for distress among families with one member in palliative care. Findings from the systematic review that I conducted during the early stages of my PhD supported conceptualization of distress in families as a systemic construct, meaning that distress in one family member has recursive and iterative impact(s) on another/others. However, the findings also revealed that research to date had primarily focused on the individual experience of the patient or the primary caregiver. Explanatory frameworks to inform our understanding of distress were limited, and there was a paucity of research informed by family systems theories. Informed from these findings, I conducted a multiple case study of families, seeking to gather multiple perspectives from within each family.

This research methods case study provides an account of some aspects of conducting a multiple case study with multiple family members within each family and focuses on the particular challenges associated with conducting multi-perspective interviewing. The methodological implications of employing such a research approach and the practicalities of using this method are considered. Finally, practical lessons to guide future researchers employing this method are offered.

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